


...For Love

by filmfanatic82



Series: Anything... [4]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute Kids, F/F, Female Tommy Oliver, Future Fic, Kimberly Hart/Trini-centric, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2019-05-06 06:51:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14636361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filmfanatic82/pseuds/filmfanatic82
Summary: "Krispy Kreme.Why the hell couldn’t they choose to end the world at the Krispy Kreme? Like every other, self-respecting apocalyptic demon that has a beef with Angel Grove. "----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Set almost a decade after ...Anything, Trini is forced to face her past when the one woman who broke her beyond repair suddenly comes back into her life with a few unforeseen surprises.





	1. Prologue

_ Krispy Kreme. _

_ Why the hell couldn’t they choose to end the world at the Krispy Kreme? Like every other, self-respecting apocalyptic demon that has a beef with Angel Grove.  _

_ At least, then it wouldn’t require scaling up the side of a cliff face in 100 mph winds and pouring rain.  _

“AHHH!”

The scream rips through Trini’s subconscious, snapping her out of her thoughts and back into the moment. She automatically quickens her pace, pushing her limbs to double-time it up the slick rock surface. Trini’s hand finds the next crevasse, then her foot, then her other hand. Even in the best of conditions, this isn’t the easiest of cliffs to climb. 

And then there’s the whole height factor.

“Fuck!” The rock crumbles between Trini’s hand, causing her to instantly lose her grip. She slips. Only a few millimeters. But it’s enough to cause Trini’s heart rate to skyrocket.

_ C’mon, Gomez. You’ve got this. Just don’t look down. _

Trini takes a deep, sobering breath and then wills her fingers to find another crack in the rock face to hold onto. She falls back into her regular rhythm of hand then a foot, then a hand again, thankful that at least she has her suit to shield her from the relentless onslaught of the elements.

_ 15 feet… 10 feet… 5 feet…  _

A second scream breaks through the roar of the storm. Louder and laced with a distinct desperation that Trini is all too familiar with. The desperation that only comes when one’s faced with their own unwilling impending doom.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Trini scrambles up the remainder of the cliff, momentarily forgetting about her internal tsunami of anxieties and fears. It doesn’t matter. Not now. 

All that matters is who precisely that voice belongs to. 

And by proxy… Her.

Trini flings her body up and over the edge of the cliff face and unceremoniously tumbles a few feet through the mud and gravel as she tries to regain her footing.

“TRINI!” 

Trini skids to a stop at the sound of her name. She whips around and pops her visor up, eyes scanning the dense, yellow fog that all but encompasses her. 

_ C’mon… C’mon… C’mon…  _

_ Bingo. _

Trini spots a tiny, brown-haired boy, barely just visible amongst the downpour of rain and fog. He flails against a semi-invisible force, as it slowly drags him back into the abyss of fog. Tears pour down his cheeks, having long given to the terrifying reality of the situation. 

“Max!” Trini yells. She frantically lunges toward the boy, but just before her fingertips can touch his--

BAM.

An unexpected gust of rain laced wind, crashes into Trini, sending her flying backward. She crashes into the ground with a bone-crushing thud.

“Fuck.” Trini rolls over to her side, shaking her head as she tries to regain clarity. 

Max’s screams deepen with intensity. Raw and almost primal in nature. Like a trapped animal whose seconds away from gnawing off their own limb.

Trini’s eyes lock with Max’s chocolate brown orbs. They slice through her leaving semi-permanent gashes upon her soul. 

_ God, those eyes… He has her eyes. _

“Help me. Please,” The words come out as a whimper. One final please before giving in to the inevitable.

And with these words, Trini’s heart shatters as one singular fault replays on loop in the confines of her head.

_ This is all your fault. _

“Take me instead!” Trini doesn’t fully register the gravity of what she’s saying. Or even all that those three simple words entail. She doesn’t have to. If it means that Max will be safe, then it’s worth it.

“As you wish.”

In an instant, the invisible force releases their death grip on Max, causing the trembling boy to fall forward onto his hands and knees. 

Trini swoops in, pulling Max into her arm. She cradles him close to her chest in an attempt to shield him a bit from the relentless barrage of wind and rain. 

“Trini…” Max lets out with a hiccup, trying to catch his breath from the tears. 

“Hey, kiddo. It’s all gonna be okay. Promise.” Trini ever so gently wipes the rain away from Max’s face and forces herself to give him a reassuring smile. 

“But--”

“Max, I need you to listen to me.” Trini locks eyes with Max once again. “Think you can do that?”

Max sniffles and with all of the confidence he can muster, gives Trini a nod in response.

“Good.” Trini pops open a hidden compartment on the chest piece of her armor and produces a small, glowing device. “See this? It’s called a teleporter. All you need to do is push that blue button, and it’ll get you outta here.”

“To my Mommy?”

“Yup,” Trini replies as a lump of conflicted emotions starts to bubble up in her throat. She forces them back down with a hard swallow and then carefully places the device into Max’s tiny hands, curling his fingers around it. “Right to your mom.”

“But…” Max’s brow furrow with confusion as the sudden realization sets in. “But what about…”

“It’s okay.” Trini cuts him off before he can finish his thoughts. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a superhero, remember?”

Max’s face lights up with an ear to ear grin. “You’re a Power Ranger!”

“That’s right, kiddo.” Trini matches Max’s smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’m a Power Ranger.”

Trini helps Max up onto his feet and gives him a hug that lingers just enough to signify that it might be the last one. “Can you do one more favor?”

Max nods again, this time with more conviction than before.

“Tell her I’m sorry. Okay?” 

Before Max has a chance to answer, Trini goes ahead and pushes the button, causing him to de-materialize into thin air. It’s easier this way. No prolonged goodbyes or unnecessary tears.

Trini exhales a heavy breath of air and then turns back towards the ominous abyss of thick, yellow fog with a sudden and fierce resolute.

“You ready?” The voice calls out from just beyond the fog.

“As I’ll ever be.” Trini puts up her visor once again and cockily cracks her neck. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  
  



	2. The King of All Wild Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yellow’s my favorite color.”
> 
> Trini snaps out of her thoughts at the sound of the tiny voice before her. She looks down and comes face to face with a set of big chocolate brown eyes staring back right back at her.
> 
> Shit. Those eyes.
> 
> Those eyes are so freakin’ familiar.  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini travels back home for Thanksgiving and has a random encounter with a strangely familiar face.

Chapter 1: The King of All Wild Things

 

///////////////////

72 HOURS EARLIER

//////////////////

_ Fuuuuuuuuuuuck. _

The singular word echoes throughout the confines of Trini’s mind as she opens the door to Krispy Kreme and is immediately greeted with a monstrous line.

_ Why the hell does there have to be a freakin’ line? It’s 9:35 am on Thanksgiving morning. Was there a secret memo or something? Is donuts the new turducken?  _

_ It’s not like Trini has anywhere pressing to be. She told Mamaji and Bapu she’d be in by one earliest.  _

_ It’s just something about Krispy Kreme -- this Krispy Kreme to be exact -- that always puts Trini on edge.  _

_ Sure, it’s been remodeled at least a good half dozen times over the last decade and looks almost entirely unrecognizable now. But still… _

_ It’s a reminder of her. _

Trini lets out a lengthy sigh and then makes her way inside joining the back of the line.

PING. PING. PING.

Hearing the all too familiar quick secession of chimes, Trini fishes her phone out of the back pocket of her black skinny jeans and checks the screen. A small smile creeps across her face as she reads the screen.

**AnnoyingOne: Yooooooo T! You in town yet?**

**AnnoyingOne: What time do we need to be at Mamaji’s? 4, right?**

**AnnoyingOne: Tommi swears it’s 3.**

“Jesus, Taylor,” Trini mutters under her breath with a slight hint appreciation to her voice. She fires back a quick response.

**AnnoyingOne: You swinging by the bar?**

**AnnoyingOne: You better be cuz I’ve got a bottle of Hendrick’s with your name on it.**

**SabertoothT: 4. And I’ll swing by. Just at Krispy Kreme now.**

**AnnoyingOne: Pick me up a Boston Creme!**

**SabertoothT: Will do.**

**AnnoyingOne: And one for Tommi too. Thanks, Crazy Girl!**

Trini shoves her phone back into her pocket and shakes her head as the smile lingers on her face for a moment or two.

_ Nine years.  _

_ Nine long ass, crazy years since that life-changing night in the quarry. Nine years worth of battles. And struggles. And friendship. And love. And-- _

_ No. She can’t go there. Not today.  _

“Yellow’s my favorite color.”

Trini snaps out of her thoughts at the sound of the tiny voice before her. She looks down and comes face to face with a set of big chocolate brown eyes staring back right back at her.

_ Shit. Those eyes.  _

_ Those eyes are so freakin’ familiar. _

“Huh?” Trini responds, trying to piece together the meaning behind the random statement.

A shaggy-haired, muppet of a little boy, who the chocolate eyes belong to, flashes a toothy grin and points to Trini’s beat up, faded yellow converse sneakers. “Your shoes. They’re yellow.”

Upon those words, Trini’s instincts kick in, and she immediately squats down and matches his smile. “They are.”

“Mine are too. See?” The boy sticks his foot out with a burst of unbridled pride displaying a pair of bright yellow checkered Vans. “But they don’t have laces.”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

The little boy’s eyes widen as a wave of seriousness washes over him. He gives Trini an extra exaggerated nod. “Yeah.”

“Laces are overrated,” Trini whispers just loud enough for the boy to hear, causing an immediate burst of giggles in response.

“You’re funny.” The boy continues to smile at Trini and rocking slightly back and forth on his feet.  “My name’s Max.”

_ Max. _

_ His name is Max.  _

_ Of all the names in the whole, wide world, why does he have to be named-- _

“What’s yours?” 

Trini tries to maintain her smile as a small but sharp pang of forgotten heartache cuts through her. “Trini.”

“Trini,” Max replies, testing out the sound of Trini’s name. “That’s a pretty name.” 

“Thanks. I like yours too. It happens to be the name of a character in one my all time favorite books. You ever read Where the Wild Things Are?”

Max vigorously nods again, this time causing his unruly mop of hair to bounce around in all directions. “Uh-huh. It’s my mommy’s favorite too. She says I’m just like him. But I’ve never been to a wild rumpus before.” 

_ God, he’s cute.  _

_ Like ovary hurting kinda cute. _

“Neither have I.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” Another chorus of giggles erupts from Max and Trini fights the overwhelming urge to reach out and ruffle his hair. 

“Do you like jelly--”

“Max!” A bone-chilling voice booms across the Krispy Kreme causing the smiles to instantly drop from both Trini and Max’s faces.

Trini watches as Max noticeably tenses up and shrinks into the confines of his T-Rex hoodie. She makes a mental note of this reaction as her eyes scan the surrounding crowd for the source of the voice.

“Uh-oh,” Max utters under his breath.

“Max? Who’s…” But Trini trails off, as her question is answered by the sight of a ruggedly handsome looking man storming towards them. Although he appears to be well put together and approachable, there’s a clear underlying sense that it’s all a facade. That, at any given moment, he’ll drop the act, and his true, uglier colors will show.

“What the hell? I’ve told you a million times. Don’t freakin’ wander off from me.” The man punctuates his words by harshly grabbing hold of Max’s upper arm.

“Sorry, Richard,” Max whispers with a slight tremble to his voice. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Hey.” Trini clears her throat, making her presence known. She steps up closer, attempting to make herself look a bit more menacing than usual.  

“Excuse me?” Richard lets go of his grip on Max and turns his attention towards Trini.

“Is he yours?” 

The briefest look of confusion sweeps over Richard’s face as he tries to piece together the meaning behind Trini’s question but then is replaced with a charming but fake smile. “No. He’s my fiance’s kid.”

“Too bad,” Trini responds as she gives Max a subtle wink. “Tell your fiance, she’s got a good kid.”

“Uh… Thanks.”

“No problem.” 

Slightly thrown off, Richard re-adjusts his grip on the bag of donuts and then nudges Max to start heading towards the door. 

“Bye Trini!” Max calls out over his shoulder with a wave.

“Bye Max.” Trini takes a moment, watching Max disappear through the doorway as a gnawing sensation grows within the depths of her stomach.

_ Shit.  _

_ There’s no denying it. She knows that boy. _

_ But how? _

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Whoa. When did you guys install an air hockey table?” Trini makes her way into the empty bar and plops a box of donuts down onto the counter.

“Crazy Girl!” Zack exclaims. He leaps over the counter, from behind the bar, knocking over a few stray beer mugs as he does and immediately scoops Trini up into a rib-cracking hug. 

_ Warmth. _

_ It’s a foreign, yet familiar sensation. One that Trini rarely gets to experience anymore. _

_ Especially from someone like Zack, who knows her inside and out. _

“Can’t… breathe…” Trini huffs out in response. “But… Hi…”

Zack gives her an extra hard squeeze before putting her back down on the ground. “You’re here!”

“I said I would be.”

“Yeah, but--”

“You always bail on us with some lame ass excuse,” Tommi finishes Zack’s sentence as she emerges from the backroom, arms full with cases of beer. She unceremoniously drops them down with a thud and then makes her way over to join Zack and Trini. “And we got the air hockey table six month ago. After the remodel.”

“Re-model?” Trini asks.

“We had a run in with some prick named Hector.”

“Heckyl,” Tommi corrects Zack.

“Right. That’s what I meant. Heckyl.” 

“And you didn’t call me?” Trini sucker punches Zack in the arm. 

“Owww!” Zack winces in response. “I so wanted to. I swear. But Jase vetoed it.”  

“And you?” Trini turns towards Tommi, looking for a better answer.

Tommi lets out a bit of a sigh and runs her hands through her mane of chestnut curls. “It was no big deal. Honestly. We didn’t even need the Zords.” 

“Tommi…”

“Trini…” Tommi mimics Trini’s voice with an underlying hint of playfulness.

“You promised me.”

“Next time, okay?” Tommi replies with an apologetic smile. “So can we talk about the jeans?”

“What about them?” Trini glances down at her jeans and then back up at Tommi in confusion. 

“Those are the same jeans, T.”

“No. They’re not.” Trini stiffens up as a wave of uneasiness wash over her.

“Bullshit.”

_ Fuck. _

_ It’s a lie. Of course, they’re the same black skinny jeans. She hasn’t bought barely a new t-shirt, let alone jeans, in the last five years.   _

_ And leave it to Tommi to call her out. But then again, that’s what Tommi does best. She’s got no qualms with confronting anyone on anything… especially Trini. _

_ But in all fairness, Tommi has more than earned that right.  _

_ Having joined the group during the summer between high school and college, Tommi, unlike the previous Green Ranger, quickly proved herself to be one of the most loyal and trustworthy teammates, and more so, friends that Trini has ever had. _

_ Hell, she was the only one who managed to get through to Trini after-- _

_ No. Scratch that. That topic is off limits.  _

“Hey babe, don’t you need to pick up the pies?” Zack pipes up.

 

“Shit. How’s it 11, already?” Tommi snatches up her car keys off of the bar counter, plants a quick but loving peck on Zack’s check, and then gives Trini a hug. “See you at Mamaji’s?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you there.” Trini responds, hugging Tommi back.

“Good. Cause I’ll hunt your ass down if you don’t.” Tommi flashes a playful, dimple clad smirk at Trini before disappearing out the front door. 

A moment or two of silence passes between Zack and Trini, both watching the door in slight anticipation for Tommi’s return, and then-- 

“Shots?” Zack asks.

“God, yes.” 

Zack leaps back behind the bar and lining up two shot glasses. He grabs a bottle of Grey Goose off of the shelf. “Goose?”

“Works for me,” Trini responds, pulling up a stool. 

Zack pours out two, more than generous, shots and then slides one towards Trini. “Bottoms up, Crazy Girl.”

They cheers and both pounds back the shot in perfect unison. Trini slightly winces as the alcohol burns its way down her throat. 

“You getting light on me?”

“Never,” Trini responds as she nudges the empty shot glass back toward Zack, motioning him to pour another. “So, where is it?”

“What?”

“You know what, Taylor.” Trini pounds back another and then wipes her mouth on the back of her sleeve. “The ring.”

The boyish grin drops from Zack’s face upon these words. “Who told you?”

“Who’d you think?”

“Mamaji,” Zack replies with a light sigh. 

“The woman loves to gossip.”

“And weddings. You know she framed like six or seven pictures from Jase and Billy’s and hung them around the house?” Zack pours a beer and plops it down in front of Trini. 

_ Of course, Mamaji does. And probably in the spots that once held photos of her and--- _

_ Stop.  _

_ It’s about Zack and Tommi.   _

“Well at least she gets another one to look forward to,” Trini says with an underlying tone of bitterness to her words. 

An unsettling silence falls between the two of them as Zack seems to struggle with what to do or say next. He pretends to busy himself by re-straightening the cocktail napkins, avoiding eye contact with Trini at all costs. 

Finally, just before the silence becomes a little too unnerving--

“Trini, I--”

“It’s okay.” Trini cuts Zack off with a semi-forced smile of reassurance. “I’m happy for you. And Tommi. Really, I am.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, idiot.” Trini balls up a cocktail napkin and tosses it playfully at Zack’s forehead, trying to lighten the mood. “Now are you gonna show me the ring or not?”

Without another word, Zack leaps over the bar again and make a beeline towards the back room, leaving Trini alone with nothing but her beer and her thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the original plan was for this chapter to be longer, but decided to break it into two parts instead. A little bit of foreshadowing of what's to come with a few hints to past events. 
> 
> Promise the next chapter will bring about the rest of the gang... and quite a surprise for Trini ;)
> 
> Please let me know what you think! Love reading your thoughts and comments.
> 
> Enjoy!


	3. Sometimes It Hurts Instead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home… with an asterisk.   
> That’s the only way to explain it. 
> 
> Not the home she grew up in. No. That one just doesn’t exist anymore. 
> 
> It’s a different sense of home. A home that almost, at one point in time, she was going to officially belong to. 
> 
> But then--   
> \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini continues to make her rounds and accidentally comes face to face with the one person she swore she would never lay eyes on again in her life.

“We had a deal!” Trini shouts out with a tinge of underlying anger to her voice. She doesn’t even bother waiting until she’s fully entered the firehouse nor cares if anyone else happens to hear her. Trini’s a woman on a mission.

“Good to see you too, Trini.” Jason emerges from the cab of the pump truck with a bit of a sheepish smile. “Welcome home.”

“You promised, Scott.” Trini makes her way into the garage of the firehouse and straight towards Jason, never once breaking her anger-induced scowl. 

“I know, but--”

“You fuckin’ promised me.”

Jason lets out a long sigh and rubs the back of his neck. “Heckyl had a thing for flying, Trini. So the bulk of the battle ended up taking place--”

“In the air,” Trini finishes Jason’s words. She suddenly deflates as all traces of anger seem to vanish into thin air and takes a seat down on the edge of one of the nearby trucks. 

Without saying another word, Jason takes a seat next to Trini and joins her in the silence for a moment or two.

“You still could’ve called me.” 

“You’re 100% right,” Jason replies with a reaffirming nod. 

“That’s why Billy made these. Remember?” Trini rolls her sleeve up to reveal a nondescript, metallic bracelet around her wrist.

“Sorry, T.” Jason offers up an apologetic look. “Can we start over? Please?”

_ Fuck.  _

_ Jason always knows what to say. _

_ Every single goddamn time. _

_ It’s his gift… _

_ And god, does Trini hate and love it all at the same time. _

“Hi, Jason,” Trini grumbles in a playful yet somewhat mocking tone. 

“Hi, Trini,” Jason quips back. He gives Trini a light bump with his shoulder. “How’s life been treating you?”

A disbelieving chuckle slips through Trini’s lips. She tucks a stray strain of hair that’s come loose from her ponytail behind her ear and gives a shrug of her shoulders. “Same as always. How about you? You and Billy doing okay?”

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

An ear to ear grin spreads across Jason’s face, and no words are needed. Trini already knows the answer.

“That good, huh?” Trini replies, matching Jason’s shoulder bump with one of her own.

“I’m the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.” 

_ Of course, that’s his answer. _

_ Freakin’ fairytale of a love story. High school sweethearts who, against all the odds, managed to make it work. And went on to get married. On a warm summer evening at the Angel Grove yacht club. Just two short years ago _

_ It’s a story that should’ve been-- _

_ No. Pull it together, Gomez. This isn’t about you. _

“Glad to see some things don’t change.” Trini stands up, stretches and takes a long, hard look around. “But this place has. Did it get bigger?”

“Nope. All Billy. Once Chief Richardson retired--”

Trini does a slight double take at these words. “Wait. When did he retire? Coulda sworn the last time we talked you said he’d rather up and die on the job than step down.”

“I did. But… that was almost a year ago.” Jason replies with a boyish shrug. 

_ Shit.  _

_ Has it been that long?  _

_ No. The last time they talked it was right before-- _

“Fuck. Valentine’s day.” Trini says as a look of realization sweeps across her face. “Jesus, Jase. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”

“Hey. It’s all good. I get it. I really do.”

“Yeah. but still…” Trini runs her hands over her ponytail and lets out a heavy sigh. “I should be better.”

“We all should.” Jason pushes himself up from the bumper of the fire truck to join Trini. “But what matters is you’re here now.” 

“God. You’ve been spending too much time with Mamaji.”

“You know the drill. Family dinner. Every Sunday--”

“At 4pm.” Trini finishes Jason’s sentence with a bit of a smirk. “How could I forget?”

“Didn’t think you did.”  

“You and Billy coming tonight?”

“Of course. We’re planning on swinging by around 7ish for dessert. Need to go to Billy’s mom’s place first for dinner.” Jason snatches up a stray pile of hoses and hoists them over his shoulder with the greatest of ease. “Now come on. The youngest Fire Chief of Angel Grove in over a decade wants to give you a tour of the station.”

“Do I have a choice?” Trini deadpans.

“Nope.” Jason doesn’t waste another moment. He starts to head towards the back, not even giving Trini a second glance.  

“Fine.” Trini replies as she follows suit and makes her way through the station.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Chuki!” 

Trini barely manages to make her way through the back door of the kitchen, before being bombarded with a barrage of kisses and hugs by a woman that she has come to know as one thing and one thing only-- 

_ Mamaji. _

_ But, at first, way back when Trini was just starting to come into her own, it was Mrs. Hart. Then, a few months after being kicked out by her parents, it switched to Meredith. And finally, on a crisp November evening when Trini revealed that she was planning on marrying their only daughter, it became Mamaji.  _

“Hi,” Trini replies, unable to hide her smile. 

Meredith pushes Trini back, holding her out at arm's length, and gives her a quick once over from head to toe. “You lost weight again.”  

“Mamaji--”

“And your hair. Still the ponytail? I thought we agreed. You were going to cut it.”

“I know, I know. I just--”

“You need to take better care of yourself,” Meredith cuts Trini off with an underlying hint of disappointment to her voice.

“Give the girl a break. She hasn’t been home for more than five minutes.” Frank lumbers into the kitchen, arms brimming with overstuffed grocery bags. He plops them down on the nearby kitchen table and without another moment’s hesitation, pulls Trini into a bear hug. 

“Hi, Bapu.” 

“How’s my girl doing?” 

“Doin’ good,” Trini responds. She can feel her cheeks growing red with a slight embarrassment.

“Just good?”

“Yeah. Just good.”

Meredith hums in response as she turns her attention back towards the menagerie of pots and pans on the stove.

“Grad school still kicking your ass?”

“Frank!” Meredith shoots him a quick but scolding look over her shoulder.

“What?” Frank playfully shrugs his shoulders in response. He reaches into one of the bags and starts to rummage around for something. “Picked you up something.”

Frank emerges a second later from the bag with a six-pack of Pacifico beer and an ear to ear grin. 

“Thanks, Bapu,” Trini replies matching his smile as he tosses her a can and then takes for himself. 

“Of course, kiddo.”

_ All these years later and it still blows her mind that they treat her as if she’s their own. _

Frank parks himself at one of the free kitchen chairs and motions for Trini to join him.

“So. What’s the latest and greatest? How're things going with…” Frank glances up at Meredith, drawing a blank.

“Gillian.”

“Right. Gillian. How’s she doing?”

“We kinda broke up,” Trini mumbles in between sips of beer. 

“Broke up?” Meredith whips back around once again, hand still clutching the curry covered spoon. “But why? She was such a lovely girl.”

“I dunno… Just didn’t feel right, I guess.” 

“Chuki…”

Now it’s Frank’s turn to shoot Meredith a look, causing her to let out a light sigh and returns to manning the stove. 

“Eh. If it wasn’t right, then it wasn’t right.” Frank gives Trini a fatherly nudge with his shoulder, catching her eyes in the process. There’s an unspoken understanding there between the two of them. No further explanation is needed. He gets it.

_ But Trini does know the reason.  _

_ Cause it’s always the same. Regardless of the girl. Or the situation.  _

_ When it comes down to it, they just aren’t-- _

_ No. Not happening.  _

_ Stop it, Gomez. _

“Chuki?”

“Yeah?” Trini snaps herself out of the confines of her thoughts to notice that Meredith has abandoned the stove and is now thoroughly inspecting the contents of the grocery bags. 

“Potatoes. I need all four bags peeled and scrubbed.” Meredith fishes out the bags of potatoes and plops them down with a hard thud in front of Trini.

“...And that’s my cue to leave.” Frank get up, stretches, and then gives Trini a light peck on the forehead. “I’ll be out back. Come and join me when she lets you outta indentured servitude.”

“Will do, Bapu.”

Frank disappears out the back door, leaving Trini alone once again with Meredith.

“So Gillian…”

“Can we not? Please, Mamji?” Trini cuts Meredith off, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I promise. I’ll fill you in on Gillian Just… Just not right now.” 

Without another word, Meredith makes her way over to Trini and wraps her arms around her, gives another quick but loving squeeze. 

“Thanks,” Trini exhales as she places her hands on top of Meredith’s and returns the gesture.

“Anytime, Chuki.”

A comforting silence falls between the two of them as Meredith heads back to manning the stove while Trini rips open a bag of potatoes and begins to work. 

_ Home… with an asterisk.  _

_ That’s the only way to explain it.  _

_ Not the home she grew up in. No. That one just doesn’t exist anymore.  _

_ It’s a different sense of home. A home that almost, at one point in time, she was going to officially belong to.  _

_ But then--  _

_ Stop. Don’t do it. _

Trini shakes her head a bit, in an attempt to clear her thoughts. She takes an extra long swig of her beer and then dives head first into the task of peeling the mountain of potatoes.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

_ Strange. _

_ It’s the only way to describe it. The odd sensation that suddenly is rushing through every inch of her body.  _

_ Like touching a live wire mixed with a hint of…  _

_ Fear?  _

_ Anxiety? _

_ What the hell is it? _

Trini pauses mid peel, tuning all of her concentration in on her body.

_ Too much peeling? It has been well over an hour since she started. Maybe it’s-- _

**Ding Dong.**

“Chuki! Can you get that?” Meredith calls out from upstairs.

“Yeah.” Trini tosses the half-peeled potato back into the bag and gets up from the table. 

She makes her way from the kitchen into the living room but suddenly hesitates before going to open the front door. 

_ The feeling… _

_ She knows this feeling. _

_ But how? _

**Ding Dong.**

“Chuki!”

“Yeah. I’m on it,” Trini hollers back.

_ What the hell is it? _

Trini pulls open the front door and--

_ Fuuuuuuuuuuucccccccck _

There, standing in the doorway is the one person in the world that Trini prayed she would never have to lay eyes on again in her life…  

_ Kimberly fuckin’ Hart _

 

  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone!
> 
> So sorry for the delay with this chapter. Life has been kicking my ass lately. But... I'm planning on sticking to a more regular posting schedule from here on out. 
> 
> Every other Friday afternoons (PT time)
> 
> And... I say it every time, but please don't hesitate to leave comments / feedback. I truly do love hearing what you think!
> 
> Enjoy!


	4. Somebody...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The single thought pops into Trini’s mind as she finds herself unable to pull her eyes away from the apparition that stands before her…
> 
> God, she’s gorgeous.  
> \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini is forced to deal with an impromptu reunion along with a few unforeseen surprises.

_Kimberly fuckin’ Hart is standing right in front of her. Here, in Angel Grove. On Mamaji and Bapu’s the porch._

_It’s gotta be a dream, right?_

_Breathe, Gomez. Breathe!_

But Trini can’t bring herself to do so. It’s as if all of the viable oxygen has been suddenly sucked out of her surroundings, leaving her to slowly suffocate on the sheer stillness of the moment.

The single thought pops into Trini’s mind as she finds herself unable to pull her eyes away from the apparition that stands before her…

_God, she’s gorgeous._

Time has been nothing but kind to Kimberly Hart. Although she still vastly resembles her college-aged self-- short choppy raven locks and a style that has a hint of a hard edge to it -- there’s also a newfound softness to her. An invisible warmth that immediately penetrates Trini’s rock hard emotional walls.

_Trini knows this warmth._

_But how?_

_It almost reminds her of the kind of warmth that mama--_

“Trini!” a tiny voice exclaims in the distance, breaking Trini out of her trance.

“Max?” Trini utters in sheer disbelief as she watches the curly haired boy bound up the front steps and onto the porch.

Max instinctually wraps his arms around Kimberly’s waist and flashes an ear to ear grin. “Mommy! That’s Trini. She’s got yellow shoes. Just like me!”

_Fuuuuuck._

_That’s why Max looked so familiar._

_Kim has a child?_

_But how?_

_And with who?_

A tidal wave of mixed emotions crashes down upon Trini, causing her stomach to instantly knot. She does a hard blink to shake off the blurriness that’s creeping in on the edges of her eyes and then stares back at Kimberly, who’s wearing the same exact look of stunned confusion on her face.

“Babe, are you sure we shouldn’t have picked up a bottle of--” Richard trails off as he approaches the front steps and catches sight of Trini.

_NO._

_FUCKING._

_WAY._

_Please let this be a nightmare. God, please…_

“Hey, aren’t you that girl from the Krispy Kreme?” Richard asks. He cautiously joins Kimberly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a slightly possessive manner. “What are you doing--”

“Chuki! Who’s at the door?” Meredith calls out as she approaches from behind Trini. “It is… Oh my god! Frank! FRANK!”

“Hi Mom,” Kimberly replies with a hint of trepidation. She produces a small smile hello and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m coming. I’m coming.” Frank rounds the corner, into the foyer and comes to a similar, crashing halt. “Kimmie?”

The next few moments are a giant blur of hugs, tears, and kisses as Trini watches from the sidelines. She tries to make herself as invisible as humanly possible, preferring to stay on the peripheral as the group haphazardly makes their way from the front porch and into the living room.

But it’s of little use. Trini can feel Kim’s eyes upon her, boring into her every few seconds or so. She slightly squirms as her skin crawls with an ever-growing itch of uncomfortableness.

Words fly around at a rapid-fire pace as a steady stream of Hindi mixed with English fills the room. Even after all of these years, Trini can only manage to pick up on every tenth word or so, but then again, words aren’t really needed. She can piece it together just by the gestures and body language.

Then, as clear as day, a single word slices through the chatter, grabbing Trini’s full attention.

Fiance.

The word blindsides Trini, like an emotional sucker punch to the gut. Her mind starts to swirl as the cold, harsh realization sets in.

_Kim has a fiance._

_Of course, she does. It’s Kim. Someone like her isn’t meant to be single._

_If even she promised to--_

Trini feels the sting of tears quickly welling up in the corners of her eye as all too familiar lump of mixed emotions form in her throat.

_No. Don’t Gomez._

_Don’t go there._

Without another moment’s hesitation, Trini slips out of the living room and into the safe confines of the kitchen. She collapses down into a nearby chair, letting out a weighted sigh as she does.

_Just breathe._

_In and out._

_In and out._

Trini closes her eyes, turning all of her attention inwards as she regains control of her emotions. She exists in the stillness of the kitchen for a moment or two, just breathing, then--

“Are you my aunt?”

Trini’s eyes pop open at these words to find Max staring back right back at her, eagerly awaiting a response. “What?”

“My aunt,” Max says as he pulls up a chair next to Trini and takes a seat. “Like are you and my Mommy sisters?”

Trini can’t help but let a chuckle slip through her lips. “Sisters?”

“Yeah. Sisters. This is my grandma and grandpa’s house, and they live here. And you live here too. So that makes you and me related.”

“Not exactly, Kiddo.”

“No?”

Trini shakes her head. “We aren’t sisters.”

“Then what are you?” Max replies with genuine curiosity.

_Loaded fuckin’ question._

_That’s what it is._

Trini pauses for the briefest of seconds, mulling over her words, but before she can start to respond--

“She’s a good friend.” Kimberly makes her presence known as she enters the kitchen and makes her way over to the table. She scoops Max up from his chair and with a light kiss on the forehead, places him on her lap and takes a seat. “A very, very good friend.”

“Like Aunt Jamie?”

“Even more special than Jamie,” Kimberly responds while locking eyes with Trini. “Trini is one of the most special people that I know.”

“Wait.” Max’s face crinkles up with child-like confusion. “Why haven’t we met her before?”

_God, this kid._

_He’s a pint-sized question machine._

“Well…” Kimberly trails off as her teeth subconsciously sink into her bottom lip. She remains staring at Trini, but her eyes suddenly seem to soften with an all too familiar hint of sadness.

And Trini instantaneously feels the sharp pangs of long-buried memories clawing their way to the surface of her soul. She swallows thickly, in a feeble attempt to maintain her composure.

_Hold it together, Gomez._

_It doesn’t matter anymore. It was five years ago and--_

“Yes! I smell Vada Pav! Told ya. Mamaji’s makin’… HOLY SHIT!” Zack’s voice cuts through the kitchen as he pops open the back door and comes to a sudden and jarring halt. His eyes widen in sheer and utter disbelief, unable to fully process the scene before his eyes.

“Language,” Tommi replies, coming up from behind Zack and smacking him upside the head. “The woman’s asked you a million and one times not to… FUCK!”

The word lingers in the kitchen as all eyes fall upon Kimberly and by proxy Max.

_Fuck indeed._

_It’s the only word to describe it._

“Who are you guys?” Max pipes up after what seems like a lifetime of silence.

“Us? Who the hell are you?” Tommi fires back, slightly taken off guard.

“Language, babe,” Zack whispers at Tommi with a gentle nudge of his arm.

“I’m Max Saber Hart,” Max proudly states as clear as day, undeterred by the onslaught of unfamiliar faces in the room.

“Saber?” Zack asks.

“Yup. Like a Saber Tooth Tiger. It’s my favorite animal.”

“Saber?” Tommi hones in on Kimberly with nothing but pure disdain. “Oh, that’s seriously fucked up.”

“Tommi…” Kimberly pipes up.

Trini squirms as an underlying tension fills every inch of free space. It’s claustrophobic at best, causing her brain to focus in on one thought and one thought alone--

_Escape._

_She needs an escape… From the kitchen… From Angel Grove… From this very moment._

_Now._

Without another moment’s hesitation, Trini rises to her feet, knocking over her chair in the process, pushes past both Zack and Tommi, and heads straight out the back door.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter originally was going to be much longer but decided to split it in half. Promise not to leave you hanging for too long and will get the second half up soon. 
> 
> Also, I know it's super angsty at the moment, but the real plot is just about to kick in, so stay tuned ;)
> 
> Enjoy!


	5. ...That I Used to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A second pang hits Trini head-on, causing her to slightly double over. There’s no mistaking this one. She knows it better than any other feeling in the entire world.
> 
> It’s self-doubt mixed with a hint of regret.
> 
> It’s Kim.  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini has a heart-to-heart with an unlikely source.

Chapt 4:

Trini sits curled up in an Adirondack chair, knees tucked under her chin, staring out at the expanse of the Harts’ backyard. She’s not quite sure how long she’s been out there. Nor wants to know.

_ How is this real?  _

_ How?  _

_ Five years and not a single sign of her existence. Not even a call or text.  _

_ As if she merely disappeared into thin air one day with no real rhyme or reason. _

_ No. scratch that. There was the letter…  _

“Thought I'd find you out here,” Frank says, breaking Trini out of her train of thought. 

“Hey, Frank.”

Frank slips into the chair next to Trini and hands her a beer. “Don’t start that with me, kiddo.”

“Sorry Bapu,” Trini replies with a hint of a smile.

“Better.” Frank takes a long swig of his own beer and lets out a bit of a sigh. “So how you holding up?”

Tribe gives a slight shrug of her shoulders and continues to sip on her beer.

A comforting silence settles between the two of them for a few brief moments, then—

“God it feels like just yesterday we were sitting out here. Just the two of us. Same spots. Hell, even the same beers. Do you remember it?”

“Yeah. Of course,” Trini responds with a bit of a nod.

“Remember what I told you?” 

“That it changes nothing.”

“And what else?” 

Trini takes a moment as her eyes wander up towards the cloudless sky. She can feel the pinpricks of tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. 

_ Don’t lose it now, Gomez.  _

_ Control it. Tears won’t fix anything. _

“Don’t give up on her,” Trini says in no more than a whisper. 

“Right. And I still mean it, kiddo. All of it. You know that right?” Frank reaches out, places his hand down on Trini’s shoulder and gives her fatherly squeeze. “Changes absolutely nothing at all. You are my kid. Maybe not by blood, but you and I both know that doesn’t mean shit. You’re all mine and nothing… not even the events of today will change that. Got it?”

Trini nods, unable to speak. She knows if she dares to open her mouth then there will be no holding back the flood of raw emotions begging to be released.

Frank seems to sense this and without another moment’s hesitation, puts his beer down, leans over and wraps his arms around Trini. He engulfs her in an all-encompassing hug, almost as if to provide a brief momentary respite from the world.

Trini doesn’t fight it. She melts into Frank’s embrace, letting herself simply be held by her pseudo-father. 

“Promise me one thing,” Frank says pulling out of the hug, but not before he plants a firm kiss on her forehead. “You’ll give her a chance.”

“I will,” Trini responds just a little too quickly. 

Frank shoots Trini a skeptical look. “A real chance, kiddo.”

Trini lets out a sigh and runs her hands over her ponytail, attempting to fix the random fly aways as she does.

_ God, he always seems to know. There’s just no way around it. _

_ Sure, Trini can give Mamaji lip service all she wants and rarely gets caught, but Bapu… _

_ There’s no fooling him. _

_ He just knows her. _

_ Almost as good as Kimberly used to— _

“I know. It’s just…” Trini trails off. She starts to fidget with the worn hem of her shirt unable to bring herself to look Frank in the eye.

“You need some time?”

“Yeah.” 

Frank nods with an unspoken understanding as he takes another sip of her beer. No further words are needed. He simply just gets it. 

Another moment of silence settles between the two of them as they merely sit side by side, drinking and watching the trees gently dance within the crisp fall air. Then--

“Meredith’s gonna have my hide for this, but go and get out of here,” Frank says with a bit of a sigh.

“Really?”

“Really. Just promise you’ll come home tonight. Okay? And not too hammered either. We don’t need another blender incident.”

A small smirk crawls across Trini’s face. “I told you--”

“Nice try, kiddo. Zack ratted you out six months ago,” Frank cuts her off, matching her smirk. “Love that boy, but he’s no match for Meredith.”

With that, Frank finishes the last of his beer, rises to his feet and then gives Trini one more fatherly squeeze on her shoulder before heading back towards the house, leaving Trini alone again with her thoughts.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_ Fuuuck. _

Trini didn’t mean to end up here. Hell, this is the very last place on the face of the earth she meant to wind up at, but yet somehow after aimlessly driving around Angel Grove for the good part of an hour or so, she found herself pulling her car into the all too familiar gravel parking lot. 

_ Nice job, Gomez. _

_ Running away to the one place that-- _

Trini shakes away the thought. She pops her car into park and lets go of the breath of air she’s been holding on to. 

Although the sunset well over an hour ago, there’s still a hint of faint warm embers, dancing amongst the vast wall of thick pine trees. It’s a peaceful sight… a sight that’s painfully a little too familiar to Trini. 

BUZZ… BUZZ… BUZZ…

Trini instinctively digs into the back pocket of her jeans and fishes out her phone. 

**DragonBall-T: Where are you?**

**DragonBall-T: R U ok?**

**DragonBall-T: Answer me, Small Fry** . 

Trini stares at the screen for a moment or two, unable to bring herself to respond. 

_ Okay? _

_ Fuckin’ far from okay. Hell, she’s on the other end of the spectrum from okay.  _

Trini can feel the nagging lump of emotions building once again in the back of her throat but refuses to give in. Not here. Not after all of the time and energy, she has spent over the past few years getting herself back to seemingly normal. 

Trini powers down her phone, stashes it away in the glove compartment, and then with a sudden resolution, gets out of the car.

The crisp evening air greets Trini like a long lost friend, providing her with a sense of momentary respite from the sheer and utter chaos of the last few hours. She inhales deeply, allowing herself to get lost in the silence that surrounds her.

Then suddenly--

_ SHIT. _

_ WHAT THE-- _

A strange pang of pain radiates throughout every inch of Trini’s body, lighting up her nerves in a way that’s oddly familiar. It pulses like a heartbeat. Again. And again. Each time growing a little bit fainter.

_ Fuckin’ Ranger Connection. _

_ Not Zack nor Jason. It’s too sensitive. Too raw. _

_ And definitely not Tommi. Tommi usually feels like being seared with fire. _

_ Maybe Billy? _

_ But he usually-- _

A second pang hits Trini head-on, causing her to slightly double over. There’s no mistaking this one. She knows it better than any other feeling in the entire world. 

It’s self-doubt mixed with a hint of regret. 

_ It’s Kim. _

“Fuck!” Trini screams into the evening air with a sudden burst of raw anger. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she plows her fist directly into the trunk of a nearby redwood, creating a huge crater of a hole on impact. “FUCK YOU KIMBERLY HART!”

Trini takes a second to catch her breath. A new type of pain instantly spreads like wildfire across the hand that still embedded within the tree trunk. She doesn’t have to pull it out to know that she’s at least broken a knuckle or two. Possibly more. 

“What am I doing?” Trini mutters under her breath with an underlying hint of disappointment. She gently pulls her hand back, wincing in pain as she does. Just as expected, Trini’s knuckles are nothing but a massive mess of blood sprinkled with splinters. She starts to pick at the flecks of wood when something catches her eye.

A distinct glimmer of yellow flashes from within the recesses of the crater. 

Curious, Trini reaches in with her uninjured hand and after a moment or two of blind groping, pulls out a small, yellow gem. She holds it up in the palm of her hand, trying to get a better look but it’s of little use. It’s just too dark to see any sort of details whatsoever.

_ Strange. _

The single thought pops into Trini’s mind for the briefest of moments then dissipates as another wave of pain radiates from her broken hand reminding her of the mess that she needs to tend to. She shoves the gem into the front pocket of her jeans and heads back to her car.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!
> 
> Once again, this chapter seemed to have a mind of its own. I originally had planned for it to be a bit longer, but decided in the end to split it up instead. 
> 
> Please comment / feedback away. Love hearing what you guys think of it so far. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	6. ...Sometimes I Wish She Was You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommi refills the shot glasses yet again, this time pouring a little extra in each one. “He referred to yours and Kim’s relationship as just a phase and that Kim isn’t really bi because--”
> 
> “Cause she’s with a man,” Trini mumbles in no more than a whisper of a voice. Her eyes roam down towards her shot glass as silence settles between the two of them.  
> \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini finds out what she missed at dinner and then chooses to blow off a little steam.

“Where the hell have you been?”

Trini cringes as Tommi’s voice booms across the semi-crowded bar, causing a few of the patrons to turn around and stare. She zig-zags her way through the pockets of people and then plops herself down in the free stool at the bar in front of Tommi.

Trini goes to open her mouth, but before she even utters a single word, Tommi reaches across the bar and grabs hold of her mangled hand. “And what the fuck happened to your hand?!”

“It’s nothing,” Trini mumbles pulling her hand back from Tommi and tucking it against her chest.

“That’s not nothing.” Tommi ducks down beneath the bar and a moment later surfaces with an ice pack. She wraps a towel around it and slides it across to Trini. “I know what that is. You promised me, Small Fry.”

_Shit._

_Of course. Tommi would go there. It’s Tommi. She doesn’t believe in sugar coating nor holding back… Especially when it comes to anything involving Trini and self-inflicted injuries._

_Tommi’s middle name should be “tough love”._

_And that’s the real crux of the reason why Trini has dragged herself to the bar tonight instead of just heading back to Mamji and Bapu’s house… Or skipping town altogether._

_She needs a dose of Tommi._

Trini begrudgingly accepts the ice pack, letting out a sigh as she does. “I know… I… I just had a moment. That’s all. I swear.”

Tommi studies Trini’s face for a moment or two searching for any telltale indications that she needs to dig deeper, then--

“You were missed tonight.”

“Doubt it.”

“Fine. Don't believe me,” Tommi replies with her signature, nonchalant draw. She sets up two shot glasses, pulls out a bottle of Titos, and pours some very generous sized shots. “But it’s the truth.”  

Oh… It’s gonna be one of those kinds of conversations. The Titos fueled, knock back shots until every feeling within their body is entirely and utterly numbed, kind.

Trini downs the shot in one go, only giving the slightest of winces as the alcohol burns its way through her body. “How was it?”

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

Tommi lines up another round of shots for them both and then lets out a weighted sigh. “A total shitshow.”

“Seriously?”

Tommi nods, knocking back the next shot like a seasoned pro. “Well, it was going fine until Zack decided to go and be an idiot.”

“What’d he do?”

“Mentioned you.”

Trini raises an eyebrow at this response. “Me?”

“Kim’s kid was bouncing off the walls, asking about where you were and why you weren’t at dinner. And everyone was skirting around the topic, like one big ass elephant in the room. But then, of course, my genius of a boyfriend decides to mention that you weren’t there because of Kim.”

“Oh shit,” Trini quietly responds passing back her shot glass to Tommi.

“Oh, shit is right. That freakin’ kid started with the rapid-fire questions, which only caused the whole damn dinner to get even more awkward. Then, to add fuel to the fire, Kim’s d-bag finance decided to go and make a shitty ass biphobic comment which set off Jason and Bapu. He’s such a fuckin’ tool. The guy didn’t even offer to--”

“What’s he say?” Trini asks cutting Tommi off mid-sentence.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Tommi…”

Tommi refills the shot glasses yet again, this time pouring a little extra in each one. “He referred to yours and Kim’s relationship as just a phase and that Kim isn’t really bi because--”

“Cause she’s with a man,” Trini mumbles in no more than a whisper of a voice. Her eyes roam down towards her shot glass as silence settles between the two of them.

_Phase._

_Just a temporary stopover in the land of queers before headin’ back to hetero-ville._

_Is that all she really is to Kim? Some awkward moment in her history of past relationships that is only brought up after a few too many drinks?_

_Is that why Kim decided to up and--_

“Stop that.”

Trini snaps out of her thoughts at the sound of Tommi’s voice. “What?”

“You know what.” Tommi runs her hands through her unruly mop of curls as a look of pseudo sisterly concern crosses her face. “The guy’s a douche. End of story.”

“A douche that Kim’s gonna marry.” Trini swallows hard as her words linger in the air.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Tommi reaches over across the bar and gently places her fingertips under Trini’s chin, lifting the smaller girl’s head until their eyes meet. “Hey. Look at me. It… Doesn't… Matter… Got it?”

Trini gives the smallest of nods as a hint of a smile crawls across her face. “Got it.”

“How’s the hand,” Tommi asks while downing her last shot.

Trini gingerly removes the ice pack and flexes her swollen fingers. “Okay. I guess.”

“Good.” Tommi grabs a nearby bar rag and tosses it at Trini. “Now get your ass behind this bar and give me a hand.”

“Why me?”

“Cause I need a barback and my idiot of a boyfriend isn’t going to turn up any time soon.”

“Post-dinner Mario Kart marathon?”

“What else would they be doing? It’s--”

“Tradition.” Trini exhales as she picks up the rag, tossing it over over her shoulder in a way that screams that this isn’t her first barbacking stint. “Fine. But this time I’m keeping my tips.”

“Deal,” Tommi replies with a flash of a welcoming smile and then lifts the bar divider up to let the smaller Latina in.  

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Two hours later and Trini can more than feel the tequila coursing through her veins. She’s currently residing in the narrow sweet spot between slightly buzzed and full on hammered and has no intentions of leaving it anytime soon. It’s one of the very few places where her nagging array of conflicting emotions can’t seem to penetrate.

“Any chance can I get a Fireball on the rocks?”

Trini doesn’t even turn around to acknowledge the voice, before reaching for the bottle of whiskey and pouring a generously sized glass. She’s too much in the drink-slinging groove. Order. Mix. Pour. Serve and repeat.

“That’ll be…” Trini trails off as she turns around, drink in hand, and comes face to face with a mysterious, green-eyed woman smiling back at her.

_Fuuuck._

_It’s her type._

_Not that Trini really has a type. At least not when sober._

_But after downing a few rounds of Titos or Grey Goose, Trini always seems to find her type. The type that has wavy raven hair and a strong liking for leather jackets._

_The type that as Zack has lovely dubbing throughout the last few years as the “pink clones”._

“Here you go,” Trini replies with a hint of a smirk as she slides the tumbler across the bar towards the woman.

“Thanks.” The woman takes a seductively long sip, never once taking her eyes off of Trini. “You new here?”

“Nah. Just helping out for the night. I’m friends with the owners.”

“Only the night?”

Trini nods unable to pull her attention away from the woman. “Yup. I’m a one night only sorta deal.”

“Good to know,” the woman hums in response and takes another long draw of her whiskey. “And where will you be tomorrow?”

“Hopefully as far away from here as humanly possible.”

“Not a fan of Angel Grove?”

“One too many bad memories.”

A momentary silence falls between the two of them as the woman continues to sip on her drink, eyes wandering over every inch of Trini as she does.

_That look._

_Trini knows that look._

_That look is nothing but “wake up with a raging hangover and wonder what the hell happened last night” kinda trouble._

_...And truthfully, it’s the kind of trouble that Trini is so desperately craving right about now._

“Well, I think we should change that.” The woman polishes off what’s left in her glass and then ever so slowly rises to her feet, allowing for Trini to get a full view of her as she does. This isn’t her first rodeo. She knows exactly what she’s doing. “Want to go make a good memory?”

Trini gives a quick glance over at Tommi, who’s wrapped up serving a more hoard of semi-drunk patrons at the other end of the bar, and then back at the woman as a devilish smirk slides across her lips. “What’d you have in mind?”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_Shiiit._

_Trini’s gonna regret this in the morning. She always does. Never fails._

_But as for right now…_

_Now, it feels good. No. Scratch that. It feels fuckin’ fantastic._

Trini haphazardly navigates their bodies through the shadowy back alleyway as a set of lips lay claim to every inch of available skin she has to offer, leaving their mark with each and every nip. She backs herself up against a nearby brick wall for support and then closes her eyes, freely allowing the older woman to have at her as she sees fit.

_Trini’s eyes are always closed. Regardless of who it is and what they are doing._

_Not because she wants it that way… No. It’s just easier. Easier to ignore the obvious. That the woman in front of her is merely a “close enough” substitute for the one person, she can no longer have._

“Is… This… Okay?” The woman asks as she ravishes Trini’s body, leaving a trail of markings in her wake.

Trini gives a quick nod in response, shutting her eyes even tighter than before. “More than okay.”

“Good.”

Trini rests her head against the wall as a wave of conflicting pleasure mixed with emotional pain washes over her. She entwines her fingers into the woman’s messy raven locks, guiding her downwards along her body with one, crystal clear intention in mind.

As the sound of Trini’s zipper being undone slowly fills the alleyway, a single wish pops into her mind, temporarily blocking out all other invading thoughts and feelings.

_There’s nothing more in the world that she wants than for Kimberly to feel just an ounce of the constant pain and heartache that she’s had to suffer through day in and day out for the last five years._

A brief, but noticeable white hot twinge of pain lights up against Trini’s hip, right where the bunched up front of her jeans connect with her body. It only lasts a second. Not even long enough to force Trini to open her eyes.

And then, it’s gone. Immediately replaced by the all too familiar sensation of Trini’s core combusting into flames.

All that’s left behind is a tiny, faint yellow glow, radiating out from the corner of Trini’s front jean pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some might find this chapter to be a bit of a throw away one, but... lets just say that you should keep it in mind as the story moves forward ;) 
> 
> ...And from here on out, there will be a LOT of Trini / Kim interactions.
> 
> Love to know what you guys think so far, so please feel free to comment away. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	7. You Don't Get to Get Me Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh god. 
> 
> This version of Kim. The early morning, pre-caffeinated version. The one that used to greet Trini in their kitchen by wrapping her arms around her and planting a series of feather-light kisses along the slope of her neck. 
> 
> This is the version she misses the most.  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini wakes up the next morning to discover that all is not as it seems...

“Trini… Trini… You up?”

Max’s voice breaks through Trini’s subconscious pulling her out of her dreamless state of sleep. She shifts her position on the couch, rolling over to face the rest of the living room and instantly is hit with a wave of post-tequila nauseousness.  

“Too early,” Trini grumbles, blindly groping for the edge of the throw blanket.

“You’re up!” Max’s voice grows louder to the point where Trini knows without looking that he’s only inches away. 

“I am now.” Trini opens her eyes and comes face to face with a wide-eyed Max. He sports an ear to ear grin as if it’s Christmas morning and he’s just discovered a mountain of gifts all with his name on it. 

“Why weren’t you at dinner?” 

“Huh?” Trini pushes herself up on the couch in a feeble attempt to wake up, but it’s of little use. The room spins ever so slightly as a second wave of nauseousness crashes down upon her body. 

_ Fuckin’ tequila.   _

“Dinner. You weren’t there,” Max replies bouncing on the balls of his feet causing his raven mop of curls to flop in every direction. 

“I had some stuff come up.”

“What stuff?”

“Stuff.”

Max mulls over that response in his head for a moment or two, then--

“Mommy was looking for you.”

_ Ugh. Right for the jugular.  _

_ It’s too early. Way too fuckin’ early. _

“Right,” Trini mumbles under her breath as she runs her hands through her mess of hair. 

“No. She was. She even asked Grandma and Grandpa where you were. Grandma didn’t know, but I think Grandpa did. He kept saying that you were running errands and would be back later.”  

“Oh yeah? What else did Bapu say?”

Max plops down on the couch, taking little to no consideration for Trini’s legs in the process, and automatically makes himself comfortable. “Tons of stuff. Like how you’re super smart. And live in LA cause you go to school there. And work with kids like me who need someone to talk to.”

Trini can’t help but laugh at Max’s enthusiastic response. There’s a strange familiarity between them. Beyond the usual rapport that Trini seems to have with almost every child she meets. As if they’re simply meant to be together.

“Technically I’m still in school. But yeah, that’s the plan. I’m studying to be a child psychologist.”

“Psychologist,” Max slowly repeats the word as a hint of confusion appears on his face.

“It’s someone who helps kids with their problems,” Trini follow up. She adjusts the throw blanket, making sure that Max has more than enough to cover him. “I kinda like helping people… Especially kids.”

Max starts to open his mouth to respond, when suddenly--

A deafening boom of thunder cuts through the house, rattling the windows with its aftershock. It’s immediately followed up by a white-hot flash of lightning. 

Max instinctually shrinks into Trini, wrapping himself around her biceps. 

_ Strange.  _

_ Sure, Angel Grove has the occasional raining day here and there. But thunderstorms…  _

_ Thunderstorms are a rarity. _

Trini gives Max a reassuring squeeze. “Not a fan of thunderstorms?”

Max shakes his head as his eyes fixate on the large bay window in anticipation of the next round of thunder.

“I’ve got an idea,” Trini says as she pulls herself off of the couch and then extends a hand to Max, helping him to his feet. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starvin’. How about we go figure out some breakfast?”

Max lights up once again at the mention of food. “Can we make pancakes?”

“Sure thing, Kiddo.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A half hour later and Max has all but forgotten about the ever-growing storm raging just outside the house. He’s too enamoured by Trini and her uncanny ability to craft pancakes that resemble almost every shape and object he can dream of.

“Oh! I know. Do a boy riding a Sabertooth tiger!” Max exclaims from his perch beside Trini. He eagerly looms over her shoulder, a good few inches taller than her, thanks to the kitchen chair he’s standing on, eyes glued to the griddle. 

“I dunno…”

“C’mon. Please… You said anything.”

“How about I do a boy and then a tiger pancake? Then you can stack them on top of each other.”

“A Sabertooth tiger,” Max corrects her, overemphasizing the words to make his point.

“You really like Sabertooth tigers, huh?” 

“More than like. They’re my favorite animal in the whole wide world.”

God, this kid’s gonna be the death of me… 

“They’re mine too,” Trini responds as she starts in on making the next pancake.

“Really?”

“Yup. Have been for a long time.”

BOOM. 

Another crash of thunder rings out across the kitchen, followed quickly by a flash of lightning. Max might have forgotten about the storm, but Trini hasn’t. Her eyes glance over at the back door, taking mental note of the continuous spattering of rain pelting against the window.

_ Beyond strange.  _

_ No. Scratch that. It’s alarming. Round up the gang and pay Wall Dad a visit sorta alarming. _

_ But she can’t let it show. Not in front of the kid.  _

“You know my Mommy likes Sabertooth tigers too. She’s even got one tattooed on her--”

“Max Hart. Don’t you even think about finishing that sentence,” Kim cuts Max off with a stern but loving tone to her voice. She appears in the doorway, dressed in nothing more than a pair of threadbare sweats and a tank top, hair extra tousled with telltale signs of sleep. It’s nothing out of the ordinary and yet… 

And yet, Trini can’t seem to take her eyes off of her. 

_ Oh god.  _

_ This version of Kim. The early morning, pre-caffeinated version. The one that used to greet Trini in their kitchen by wrapping her arms around her from behind and planting a series of feather-light kisses along the slope of her neck.  _

_ This is the version she misses the most. _

_ And just Trini’s freakin’ luck, it’s the one version that’s standing smack dab in front of her. _

“What are you guys making?” Kim asks. She makes her way into the kitchen, giving Max a good morning kiss on the head, before checking out the coffee situation. 

“Trini’s making me pancakes! Did you know she can make them look like anything?” Max pipes up and holds up a sword-shaped pancake for Kim to see. 

“You cook?” Kim raises an eyebrow in Trini’s direction as she takes a long sip of coffee. 

Trini ignores the question and goes back to manning the griddle. She flips the current pancake, nudging it around a bit more than needed. Anything to distract her from those eyes.

“She does! Try one. They’re so good. And some even have chocolate chips in them.” Max bites off a huge piece of the one in his hand and then offers it up to Kim, mouth brimming full of pancake. 

Kim takes Max up on his offer, taking a small bite in between sips of her coffee, and instantly a look of surprise washes over her face. “God, these are good.”

“See. Told you, Mommy.”

“Of course they’re good! My Chuki made them,” Meredith chimes in making her presence known. She shuffles into the kitchen and helps herself to a cup of coffee as well.

“What’s a Chuki?” Max asks, eyes ping-ponging between Trini, Meredith, and Kim in utter confusion.

“Have you not taught this boy Hindi?”

Kim ever so noticeably shrinks into herself a bit at this question as her teeth sink down into her lip. She doesn’t need to respond. The answer is written all over her face.

Meredith shakes her head and lets out a light sigh. “Chuki is a term of endearment in our native tongue Hindi.”

“Like when my Mommy calls me Boo?”

“Exactly”

“But you’re not Trini’s Mommy.” 

An immediate awkwardness crashes down upon the room as Trini’s skin begins to crawl. She can’t bring herself to look anywhere but on the griddle, not even for a millisecond, but it doesn’t matter. Trini can feel their eyes upon her.

_ Please… For the love of God…  _

_ Someone say something. Anything.  _

_ Anything at all…  _

BOOM. 

Trini’s prayers are miraculously answered as the sudden sounds of thunder echo throughout the kitchen, drowning out all other noises. Max instantly jumps down off of his chair and wraps himself around Kim’s leg, burying his head into her. 

“It’s okay, Boo. Just a little thunder. That’s all.” Kim strokes Max’s head in a soothing pattern, while she glances towards the back door with a strange curiosity. “Wow. It’s really coming down out there. Did the weather say it was supposed to rain?”

Meredith makes her way closer towards the door and peeks out the window. “I should get your father. He’s going to want to tie down the furniture before it gets any worse.” 

“I can do it,” Trini says, scrapping the last of the pancakes off of the griddle.

“No, Chuki. You stay and finish up. I’ll go get him.” Meredith pauses before leaving the kitchen as if struck by a sudden, serendipitous thought. “Max, why don’t you come help me wake your grandpa up.”

“Okay!” Max bolts after Meredith, leaving Trini all alone with Kim. 

A slow silence creeps in between the two of them for a moment or two, neither one daring to do anything but breathe.  

Then--

“Trini, I--” 

“Hello? Anyone home?” Jason’s voice rings out from the living room accompanied by the all too familiar sound of the front door opening. 

Without another word -- or awkward glance-- exchanged, Trini heads into the living room with Kim tailing right behind her and immediately spots Jason, attempting to shake off the excess rain from his body. 

“Oh good. You’re both up,” Jason says, exhaling in relief.

“Yeah. What’s going on?” Trini asks as she moves to grab Jason a towel from a nearby laundry basket and tosses his way.

“Thanks. It’s a real mess out there. It took me over 30 minutes just to get here from our place.” 

“30 minutes? Shit.” 

“Yeah. I know.”

“Wait. Didn’t you say last night that your place is over on Maple?” Kim inches closer to the conversation, accidentally brushing against Trini’s arm in the process. 

And that’s all it takes for Trini’s concentration to entirely and utterly derail. The contact is brief at best, but still… 

It’s contact. And it’s nothing short of jolting.

No. Scratch that. It’s electrifying. Like fireworks only seconds away from exploding into millions upon millions of dazzling sparkles. 

The last time Kim touched her… 

_ Fuck. _

_ Hold it together, Gomez.  _

_ Concentrate.  _

“Exactly. It usually only takes me maybe five minutes… Ten at best if there’s traffic. Even with that freak storm, we had two years ago, I was able to get from the docks all the way to the junkyard in under 20. But this isn't a normal--”

“Kimberly!” 

All three sets of eyes shoot towards the source of the voice, looming just beyond the top of the stairs. 

“I’ll… I’ll be right back,” Kim says, but then hesitates for the briefest of moments as if almost torn on what to do, before heading up the stairs and disappearing out of sight.

“Sweet Jesus,” Trini mutters under her breath. She runs her hands over her ponytail and then turns her attention back to Jason. “What were you saying?”

“The storm.” Jason’s hand subconsciously migrates to the back of his neck and begins to rub it. The telltale sign that his nerves are starting to creep in. “Not sure what’s up with it but it isn't your run of the mill type of storms.”

“You feel it too?”

“More than just feel it. Billy tried teleporting to the ship roughly hour ago and discovered that all comms are down.”

“Any guesses on what it could be?”

Jason shakes his head and lets out a heavy sigh. “No clue. Billy’s working on it, but we’re kinda in the dark until we can get to the ship.”

“Right…” Trini says as her eyes wander back towards the stairs.

“Trini, there’s one more thing… The storm seems to be preventing anyone from entering or leaving Angel Grove.”

“So… We’re trapped?”

“From the looks of it, pretty much,” Jason replies as a hint of underlying fear flashes within the depth of his eyes.

BOOM.

Yet another monstrous crash of thunder cuts through the air, this time even causing Trini to recoil a bit in trepidation. 

_ Fuck. _

_ They need to get to the ship… And fast. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out a bit little more fluffy than usual but felt like a break from the angst was needed. 
> 
> Buckle up, cause the storm (and the plot) is going to pick up intensity from here on out. Enjoy!


	8. I Don’t Want to…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you…” Trini trails off, unable to find the words to finish her sentence as confusion sets in. She searches Kim’s face, slightly desperate for any kind of answer.
> 
> “What’d you think?” Kim runs her hands through her water soaked locks and then reaches into her jeans pocket and produces her pink power coin. She places it down on the dashboard for Trini to see. “If you're going to the ship, then I'm coming.”  
> \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> As the mysterious storm picks up speed, Trini, and an uninvited tag along, joins the others as they heads to the ship for answers.

“Mamji! I’ll be back,” Trini calls out. She takes the stairs at a bit of a jog while she slips on one of Tommi’s worn out bar hoodies that happened to be left in her closet. It’s isn’t exactly waterproof but will have to do the trick given that she didn’t pack for this kind of weather.

It has only been less than an hour since Jason left and yet the storm has somehow managed to double in sheer intensity. It’s not quite at alarming levels yet but isn’t showing any signs of slowing down either. 

_ Something isn’t right.  _

_ And Trini doesn’t have to look outside to know it. She can feel it within the depth of her core, like a nagging twinge of pain that won’t go away.  _

_ But are they battle ready? _

_ Trini just doesn’t know… and it’s terrifying. _

“You’re going out? In this?” Meredith emerges from the kitchen just as Trini finishes coming down the stairs.

“Yeah. Just for a little bit. Zack asked if I could swing by and help him close up the bar.”

“What about Tommi?”

Trini gives a shrug and goes to fish out her car keys out of the bowl by the front door. “He didn’t say.”

“Chuki…” Meredith says letting out a light but disapproving sigh.

“I’ll only be gone for an hour tops. Promise.”

“And why do I don’t believe that?”

_ Ugh. _

_ Trini knows what that phrase means. Especially coming from Mamaji.  _

“I’m--”

“Coming home in an hour and then helping me make chicken makhani?” Meredith asks with a tone that clearly signifies that the only acceptable answer is yes. 

_ Chicken Makhani. _

_ Of course, that’s the dinner that Mamaji wants to make.  _

_ It’s the dish that Trini secretly spent her sophomore year of college perfecting thanks in part to numerous late night FaceTime sessions with Mamaji in hopes of one day being able to surprise the woman she loved by making it. _

_ It’s Kimberly all-time favorite dish. _

“Yes, Mamaji.” 

“Good.” Meredith plants a loving kiss on Trini’s forehead followed by a feather-light tap on the cheek for good measure. “And bring Zack and Tommi back with you. That bar is no place to be in a storm like this.”

“I’ll try and convince them.” Trini musters up a slight smile of false reassurance and then, without another moment’s hesitation, heads out the front and straight into the storm.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Trini throws herself into the driver’s seat of her beat up jeep and struggles to shut the door behind her. Although the driveway is only ten yards at best from the front porch, she’s already soaked to the bone. 

Trini takes a moment, wiping the water droplets off of her face as she surveys the scene before her through the windshield. The storm rages down against every inch of the car, making it almost virtually impossible to see anything at all except a sea of vague, shapeless blobs. She closes her eyes and lets out a much-needed sigh. 

_ This is a bad idea. _

_ She knows it. No. Scratch that. She more than knows it. She can feel it buzzing across every single inch of her skin.  _

_ It isn’t too late to go back into the house and wait things out. But if she does, that means-- _

SLAM.

Trini’s eyes pop open at the sound of the car door and glances over to find--

Kim. Dripping wet and slightly out of breath. 

“What are you…” Trini trails off, unable to find the words to finish her sentence as confusion sets in. She searches Kim’s face, slightly desperate for any kind of answer.

“What’d you think?” Kim runs her hands through her water soaked locks and then reaches into her jeans pocket and produces her pink power coin. She places it down on the dashboard for Trini to see. “If you're going to the ship, then I'm coming.”

“Kim, I--”

“Don't try and tell me that's not where you're heading.”

“I’m not.”

“Oh really? Then where? Krispy Kreme?” Kim raises an eyebrow in Trini’s direction, punctuating her point.

_ Fuuuuuck. _

_ Blanks. Just a bunch of freakin’ blanks. That’s all her mind seems to be drawing at the moment. _

“Face it, Trini. You’re a horrible liar. Always have been.”

“Fine. I’m heading to the ship. Okay?” Trini huffs out with an underlying tone of annoyance. 

“Thank you. Was that so hard?” 

A slightly awkward silence falls between the two of them. Thick and heavy. Almost suffocating in nature. Neither one quite willing to take the plunge and break through it.

_ She needs to say something. _

_ Anything. _

_ She should ask about Max. _

_ Or Portland. _

_ Or even the edges of a tattoo that keeps poking out from the collar of Kim’s shirt that Trini can’t seem to keep her eyes off of.  _

“Trini--” 

But Kim in suddenly cut off by a blinding flash of lightning, illuminating everything in sight as if it’s the fourth of July. 

“Jesus,” Trini replies as the customary boom of thunder rips through the car, shaking the windows in the process.

“This isn’t normal,” Kim mutters, shaking her head in slight disbelief. 

“No shit. Do you...”

“Feel it?” Kim asks finishing Trini’s thought. “Yeah. I’ve been feeling a whole lot of things since getting here. But there’s definitely something not right about this storm.” 

As if on cue, a thick spattering of rain pelts the windshield causing Trini to ever so slightly jump in her skin. She shifts in her seat, in an attempt to play it off her ever-growing nerves, but it’s of little use. Fear has always been Trini’s Achilles heel. Ever since the very first run-in with Rita all those years ago.

“Want me to drive?” Kim quietly asks. She reaches over, ghosting her fingers over the top of Trini’s hand but stops short of making actual contact. 

Trini takes a moment letting her eyes drift down to Kim’s hovering hand and then back towards the windshield. 

_ Shit. _

_ Pull it together, Gomez. _

_ It means nothing. Not anymore. _

“No. I’ve got it,” Trini exhales and then, with a sudden burst of determination, turns the key and starts the car.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Took you long enough,” Tommi calls out over the steady roar of the wind and rain whipping around the cliff. 

Trini emerges from the treeline and spots Tommi, Zack, Jason, and Billy all waiting a few feet away from the cliff’s edge. “Sorry, we got held up.” 

“We?” Zack asks. But before Trini can respond, Kim makes her appearance known by joining the rest of the group on the cliff.

“Hey.” Kim stops short of fully stepping up into the semi-circle, not quite sure of her place. She shoves her hands deep into her back pockets and rocks a bit on the balls of her feet. 

Trini can’t help but pick up on Kim’s telltale signs of nerves and suddenly is hit with the strong urge to merely wrap her arm around the waist taller girl and rubs soothing circles into her back. Just like she used to. 

_ No. _

_ She knows better. Old habits… even the smallest ones… will lead to nowhere good. _

“Shit,” Tommi mutters with a strong disapproving shake of her head. 

“Hey Kim,” Jason steps forward from the group and offers up a light brotherly hug hello. “Trini fill you in?”

“Yeah. A little bit,” Kim replies, returning the hug.

Trini can feel both Zack and Tommi’s eyes upon her but refuses to even give the briefest of glances in either of their directions. 

“Uh, guys?” Billy pipes up, studying a tablet-like device in his hands. “We’re going to need to make the jump in the next three minutes otherwise the winds are going to be too strong.”

“Too strong for what?” Jason asks.

“To guarantee that we won’t be thrown off trajectory.”

“Wait. Do you mean…” Kim says trailing off as she pieces together what Billy is alluding to.

“Kersplat!” Zack chimes in. “Ranger roadkill.”

“Seriously?” Tommi slaps Zack upside the head with a hard eye roll.

“What?”  

“We got it. Thanks.” Tommi runs her hands through her sopping wet mess of a mane of curls and gives the edge of the cliff a long, hard look. “And we’re sure the teleporters aren’t working?”

“100% sure. Been trying to get them back online for the last four hours but haven’t even been able to get them to power on,” Billy replies with an underlying tone of defeat to his voice. 

Jason reaches over and gives Billy a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. “It’s alright, baby. We just need to get down to the ship, and then we can figure things--”

“Geronimo!” Zack doesn’t wait for Jason to finish his sentence before flinging himself off of the side of the cliff like a madman.

“Dumbass,” Tommi replies with a sigh and a bit of a head shake.

“Okay. So then we jump,” Kim says. 

“Looks like it.” Jason fully zips up his jacket, while Billy re-packs his belongings back into his bag. 

“T? You okay with this?” Tommi turns her full attention towards Trini as a look of concern washes over her face. 

_ Trini feels her skin crawl with the all too familiar sense of crippling anxiety on the horizon.  _

_ No.  _

_ Of course, she’s not okay.  _

_ Trini’s done everything under the sun to avoid this very scenario in the last few years. Ever since-- _

“Oh shit, Trini. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think about it.” Jason chimes in, sharing the same look of genuine concern.

“Do you want to wait here? We can try and get the teleporter up and running once we get to the ship and then--” 

“I’m fine,” Trini cuts Billy off. But her words are anything but believable. 

An awkward moment of shared silence settles upon the five of them as if they are each lost in their own thoughts. 

Kim’s eyes ping-pong between Trini, Tommi, Jason, and Billy, desperately trying to read their faces. “Wait. Why wouldn’t she be okay?”

_ Fuuuck. _

_ She can’t do this. Not here. _

_ Please.  _

Tommi seems to silently pick up on Trini’s internal pleas and without another moment’s thought, starts to prep herself to jump. “Okay. Let’s do this already.” 

Jason and Billy share a common head nod with Tommi in agreeance and then both take a flying leap off of the edge of the cliff, disappearing from view. 

“See you down there?” Tommi locks eyes with Trini, wordlessly giving her a dose of her infamous tough love.

“Yeah,” Trini responds.

“Good.” Tommi flashes a reassuring wink along with a slightly cocky smile and then proceeds to follow suit, jumping off the edge as well.

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

_ She’s going to have to jump. There’s just no other option. _

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

_ Or she could chicken out and wait in the safety of her car until Billy figures out the teleporter. _

_ Why the hell does it have to be this? _

“Trini…?” 

Trini snaps out of her panic driven thoughts to find Kim staring at her with a painfully all too familiar look of genuine concern. “Go on and jump. I’ll… I’ll be right behind you.”

“No, you won’t.”

“What?”

“You won’t. I can see it all over your face.” Kim cautiously takes another step closer towards Trini but doesn’t dare to cross the invisible boundary between them. “Trini, what’s wrong?”

Trini lets out a frustrated sigh and runs her hands over her ponytail, trying to smooth back the stray flyaways. “It’s nothing. I just don’t do well with heights anymore.”

“Did something happen?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Trini…”

Kim takes a breath and then dares herself to cross the boundary, taking even yet another step closer. Their bodies aren’t touching, but it doesn’t matter. The mere presence of Kim, engulf Trini, invading every inch of her thoughts and feelings. It’s intoxicating. Like taking a taste of something after years and years of sobriety. 

Trini closes her eyes once again, fighting back the growing well of tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “You better jump before you miss the window.”

_ C’mon, Gomez. _

_ Hold it together.  _

_ The feeling will pass.  _

_ Just breathe. _

_ In and out. _

_ In and out. _

“I’m sorry.” 

The words come out as a whisper, barely audible over the raging winds and rains surrounding them, but nonetheless, Trini catches it. Her eyes pop open and search Kim’s face for a clue -- any clue -- as to the meaning behind those words.

“For what?” Trini asks as confusion quickly sets in.

“This.” Kim pauses for the briefest of moments as she bites down on her lip and gives Trini a sympathetic look and then--

Trini suddenly feels the weight of Kim’s body colliding into hers like a freight train. Strong arms, wrapping themselves around her waist for the sake of protection from what’s to come next. And there’s no fighting it. Trini simply gives in as their bodies start to fall over the edge. 

_ Fuuuckin’ Kimberly Hart. _   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday!
> 
> As mentioned before, we are starting to get into the heart of the story now... and a WHOLE LOT more Trini / Kim interactions. 
> 
> Please feel free to comment away. Especially would love to know what you think about the ending of this chapter since it was one of the moments that first came to mind when I started mapping out this story. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	9. ...But I Can't Put Nobody Else Above You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini snaps out of her thoughts once again as she catches sight of Kim slipping the sweatshirt on. 
> 
> Kim buries her hands deep into the front pocket and snuggles up against the fabric. She inhales, and a slow smile spreads across her lips. “It smells just like that cologne you used to wear. What was it called again? The pines?”
> 
> “The woods,” Trini quietly whispers.  
> ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
> The Rangers make their way back to the ship and continue to slowly repair their strained relationships.

After splashing down and a quick swim through the all too familiar icy cold waters, Trini pushes through the invisible barrier and lands with a sobering thud on the rocky cavern floor. She lets out a long groan and rolls over onto her back.

_ Fuck. _

_ God, how she’s forgotten just how much this sucks.  _

“Looks like someone owes me fifty,” Zack says to Tommi with a semi-smug grin.

“The deal was if she jumped on her own. And she didn’t,” Tommi responds, shaking the water out of her hair like a wet shaggy dog.

“How’d you know that?”

Tommi shoots a look over to Trini. “Small Fry. How did you jump?”

“What?” Trini pulls herself up off of the ground, still trying to get her bearings. 

“Did you jump on your own or did you have help?”

Trini’s eyes instantly dart over towards where Kim is standing and then back at Tommi. “I--”

“See? I don’t owe you a dime,” Tommi cuts Trini off while throwing Zack a coy smile back. 

“I hate you both,” Trini mumbles under her breath.

“Wait. Then how did Trini get down here?” Billy asks, not entirely following along.

“My guess is just how she got down here the first time we took the jump. Right, Princess?” Zack glances over in Kim’s direction, but she’s too distracted by her phone to even notice.

“Fuck,” Kim exclaims. She smashes her fingers against the screen of her phone, desperately attempting to get some sort of response from it. 

“Kim?” Jason asks in concern.

“My phone’s dead. I told Max he could text me if he needs me.”

Without a moment's hesitation, Trini fishes into her jeans pocket pull out her phone and hand it to Kim. “Use mine. Billy waterproofed ours a while ago.”

“Thanks.” Kim gives Trini a small but noticeable half smile as she tucks the phone into her pocket.

_ Uggggh. _

_ Don’t read into it, Gomez.  _

This is Kimberly “rip your heart out and feed it through a paper shredder” Hart. That smile means nothing. Nothing more than a simple thank you. 

Trini lets out a sigh and turns her attention back to wringing out the excess water out from her clothes and hair. She starts to run her hands along the length of her ponytail and--

SNAP.

Trini feels her soaking wet hair instantly cascades down upon her shoulders and back creating an unruly mess of heavy curls. “Shit. Tommi do you have an extra hair tie?”

“Seriously, Small Fry?” Tommi throws Trini a bit of a smirk while playfully reaching out and ruffling her hair. “You know me better than that. I never have that kinda shit on me.”

“I bet Alpha might have some spare wires on the ship you could use,” Billy offers up.

“It’s okay, Billy. I’ll just deal.”

“You know, you should really cut it,” Kim responds as she wipes her hands on her jeans. “You look way better with short hair.”

Trini’s cheeks instantly burst into a deep reddish glow as she tries to hide to mask her innate reaction to Kim’s comment.

_ Of course, Kim would say something like that… _

_ And she walked right into it too with the hair tie comment. _

“Ha! I told ya, Crazy Girl,” Zack snorts, playfully ruffling Trini’s hair in the process. Trini slaps his hand away, but her cheeks continue to burn with embarrassment.

“Touch me again, and you can kiss that hand goodbye,” Trini growls in response.

“C’mon. Let’s get going.” Jason says, stepping himself in between Trini and Zack, grabbing the attention of the group. He doesn’t wait for a response before starting towards the ship’s entrance with Billy, Zack, and Kim close behind.

Trini goes to follow but is suddenly stopped short by a familiar arm jutting across her chest. 

_ Trini knows that arm.  _

_ It’s an arm that has saved her from impending doom and even self-destruction many, many time over the last few years.  _

_ It’s an arm that belongs to the one person who she knows has her back. No strings attached nor judgment. _

“You okay?” Tommi softly asks. She shifts her arm, moving her hand to Trini’s shoulder and gives it a light but firm squeeze.

“I’m--”

“What’s our deal?” Tommi interrupts locking eyes with Trini.

“Tommi…”

“Say it, Small Fry.”

Trini lets out a slightly annoyed sigh and runs her hairs through her hair. “No bullshit.”

“Thank you. So, I’m gonna ask you again. Are you okay?”

_ No. _

_ Would anyone be okay in this situation? _

“I dunno,” Trini answers. There’s a faint vulnerability to her voice. Subtle. But there nonetheless. 

Without another word exchanged, Tommi wraps her arms around Trini and pulls her in for a hug. They stay there for a moment or two, neither one making any attempt whatsoever to pull away from each other. It’s a simple gesture, but somehow it’s precisely what Trini needs.

“Yo! You two coming or what? Wall Dad’s waiting,” Zack’s voice echoes from within the corridor. 

“Yeah! One second,” Tommi yells back, finally pulling out of the hug. “Jesus. It’s not like he’s going anywhere. He’s stuck in a freakin’ wall… You ready?” 

“Guess I’m gonna have to be.”

“Fair enough.” Tommi reaches out and once again wraps her arm around Trini, this time leading her towards the corridor. “She's right by the way.”

“Who?”

“Kimberly. You look better with shorter hair.”

Trini rolls her eyes in response. 

_ There’s no use arguing. She knows Tommi is right.  _

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Master Tommi! Master Trini! Oh good, you’re here too,” Alpha 5 exclaims. He shuffles to greet them as Trini and Tommi make their way into the morphing grid joining Jason, Zack, Kim, Billy.

“Of course. Where else would we be?” Tommi asks, hopping up onto one of the consoles. She positions herself next to Zack, both lounging as if they’re in someone’s living room instead of the inner bowels of an alien spaceship. 

Trini takes a cue from Tommi and plops herself down on the nearby steps, also making herself comfortable. She doesn’t need any explanation from Zordon. The look on his face says it all. It isn’t going to be a quick briefing. 

“As I was saying…” Zordon cuts back in, with a distinct clearing of his throat. “The invisible barrier that has been established around the perimeter of Angel Grove appears to be mystical in nature.”

“No shit Wall Dad,” Zack mutters under his breath, instantly triggering Tommi to slap him upside the head. 

“And the storm?” Jason asks.

“From Alpha’s initial scans, it appears to be connected, but we will need to run additional tests to be certain.”

“So who’s the big bad behind it this time? Gold obsessed evil ex-ranger? A skinless alien freak who thinks he’s royalty?” Tommi chimes in.

“Oh! Maybe it’s an oozed based creature again. That one was a fun one,” Billy says with a bit of giddiness to his voice.

Trini looks over at Billy and can’t help but smile at the look of sheer joy on his face.

_ Of course, Billy would use the term “fun” to describe one of their hardest adversaries they ever had to face.  _

_ Ivan had been anything but fun. _

_ Hell, in fact, that battle resulted in Trini spending over two weeks in the hospital recovering from injuries that should’ve killed her if it hadn’t been for their accelerated healing powers. _

_ It’s even the sole reason she can’t climb more than a few feet without suffering a debilitating panic attack. _

_ No. They can’t have a repeat of Ivan.  _

“Fun? It took me three months to get that shit out of my ears,” Tommi responds shuddering from the memory.  

“It’s not Ivan, right?” Jason addresses Zordon directly. His body stiffens up as he glances over at Trini. 

“Who’s Ivan?” Kim asks.

“No one,” Trini quickly responds, with a huff of breath. She runs her hands through her tangled mess of locks and then looks back up at Zordon. “Do we know what it is?”

“Afraid not. This energy is unlike anything we’ve seen to date, and it’s rapidly growing in strength.”

“Do we know what triggered it?” Jason questions as he rubs the back of his neck. His signature tell for when his stress levels are on the rise.

“Not yet. No.” 

“Great,” Tommi says. “So, what you’re saying is we’ve got a whole bunch of nothing.”

“We will need to run some more test--”

“But in the meantime,” Trini, Tommi, Jason, Billy, and Zack all repeat in unison, sharing varying levels of all-knowing smirks and smiles.

_ All these years and for the most part, they’re still so much in lockstep with one another. Still able to finish each other’s sentences without so much as needing a hint.  _

_ It’s reassuring.  _

_ The way it should be.  _

_ Except… _

Trini’s eyes drift over towards Kim, who uncomfortably shifts back and forth. Foot to foot. Hands shoved a little too deep within her back pockets. And once again Trini’s hit with a pang of wanting to reach out. To touch. To provide comfort. 

_ She’s not yours, Gomez. _

“But in the meantime,” Zordon says adding an underlying tone of extra authority to his voice. “You Rangers will need to focus all of your energy on fortifying your bonds with one another. Any weakness, even the smallest amount, will put you at a severe disadvantage when this entity finally decides to reveal themselves.”

“Right.” Jason gives a quick look over at Kim as well, indirectly acknowledging what Zordon is alluding to.

“So… Ranger kumbaya time?” Zack pipes up, hoping down from one of the console and stretches. 

“Are you really suggesting we do a bonfire in the middle of all of this?” Tommi responds.

“What? No way. I’m talkin’ about our other type of bonding.”

A chorus of raised eyebrows and shared looks of confusion circle the group in reaction to Zack. 

“Taylor, what the hell are you...” Trini asks. 

“Oh! Mario Kart!” Billy claps his hands together with a sudden burst of joy.

“Bingo, B-man.” Zack matches Billy’s smile.

“Please don’t tell me you installed Wii in the ship,” Tommi says shaking her head in sheer disbelief.

“Of course not,” Zack replies. “Billy rigged one of the computers in the back lab to be able to play it.” 

“I can’t even…”

“You know you love me.” Zack playfully nudges Tommi and flashes her an extra charming smile. “So we doing this?”

“Jase?” Billy asks.

“Only two games,” Jason exhales with a light sigh.

“Yes!” Zack and Billy high five each other and instantly take off down a side corridor.

“And then we figure out what exactly is going on!” Jason shouts after them. 

“Like two freakin’ 10-year-olds,” Tommi mutters under her breath and then follows them down the corridor, disappearing out of sight.

Jason looks back at Kim, who’s still shifting around, trying her best to not let the awkwardness of the situation get the best of her. “You coming?”

“Yeah, I just… I should really call and check in on Max,” Kim responds. She fishes Trini’s cell phone out of her pocket and then without another word, heads off down a different corridor.

Jason lets out another, slightly heavier sigh as the silence creeps in between the two of them. 

_ Trini doesn’t have to ask.  _

_ She already knows.  _

_ Call it their Ranger connection. Or the fact that after a decade worth of love and friendship, they simply just can sense what the other is thinking.  _

_ But either way, she knows precisely what that sigh means. _

_...And it terrifies her right down to the depth of her core.  _

“I’ll tell the guys not to wait for you,” Jason suddenly says breaking the silence between the two of them. 

Trini goes to open her mouth, more than ready to fire off her usual ‘I don't know what you’re talking about’ response but then stops herself.

_ Don't do it, Gomez. _

_ Not to Jason. He’s just trying… They all are. _

“Yeah. Okay.” Trini runs her hands through her hair, trying to shake her ever presence set of nerves and gives Jason a reassuring smile. It isn't much, but at least it’s something.

Jason matches Trini’s smile and then takes off, disappearing out of sight. 

Trini waits a moment or two, eyes wandering back and forth between the two corridors and then, with a deep exhale of air, heads in the same direction as Kim.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Rich… Rich… Are you gonna let me get a word in?”

Trini freezes in her tracks as Kim’s voice echoes down the hallway.

_ Fuuuuck. _

_ Don't eavesdrop… _

_ Don't eavesdrop… _

_ Don't eavesdrop… _

“I told you already. I needed to go help Jason with something at the firehouse… Jesus Rich. I’ve been gone for less than an hour, and my parents are there. You’ll survive.”

Trini inches a bit closer towards the doorway, trying everything in her power not to make her presence known.

“Freakin’ dbag,” Trini mutters under her breath.

“I dunno. Maybe another hour? It depends on the storm… Yeah, you too. Bye baby.”

Kim’s last word fades away only to be replaced with the comforting random hums and buzzes of the ship. 

_ Turn around… _

_ Turn around… _

_ Just turn around, Gomez. _

But Trini finds her legs are doing anything but listening. With a few quick strides, she closes the distance between herself and the doorway, making her presence known with a slight but noticeable cough.

Kim jumps, not expecting the noise. “Hey. How long were you…”

“Not long,” Trini replies, fast and with a rush of breath. “Just wanted to grab some less wet clothes.”

“Right. Sure.” Kim moves out of the way, letting Trini fully enter. 

Trini beelines straight for a rather large, metal storage wardrobe in the back of the room and starts to dig through its contents. Old t-shirts. Sweats. Button down flannels. She tosses the clothes in every direction, clearly searching for something.

_ Eyes.  _

_ Those deep chocolate brown eyes. _

_ She can feel them burning a hole into the back of her. _

“God, I thought I lost this,” Kim exclaims grabbing Trini’s attention. Trini stops digging and turns around to spot Kim holding up a worn out, oversized pale pink sweatshirt.

_ Bingo. _

_ The exact article of clothing Trini is looking for. The one that she secretly tucked away in the ship all those years ago for those moments when she needed to feel… _

Trini snaps out of her thoughts once again as she catches sight of Kim slipping the sweatshirt on. 

Kim buries her hands deep into the front pocket and snuggles up against the fabric. She inhales, and a slow smile spreads across her lips. “It smells just like that cologne you used to wear. What was it called again? The pines?”

“The woods,” Trini quietly whispers. 

“The woods,” Kim repeats and takes another long inhale. “God. I've missed this smell.”

A familiar pang of nostalgia mixed with heartache slices through Trini, cutting her down to the bone. She swallows hard and fights back the sting of tears.

_ Hold it together, Gomez. _

_ Don't give in. Not now. _

Trini turns her attention back to the closet. She shifts a pile of Jason’s old sports jerseys and pulls out one of her old yellow flannels. Without a second thought, she strips off her wet t-shirt and then slips her arms into the button down.

“Here,” Kim says. She snatches up a light gray beanie from the nearby pile of clothes on the floor and tosses it at Trini. “To tame that wild mane of yours.”

Trini catches the beanie and gives it a slight once over. “My hair’s not that bad.”

“Whatever you say, Gomez,” Kim fires back with a level of playfulness to her voice that Trini hasn't heard in well over a decade. 

_ And suddenly, Trini wants to stay in this moment forever. _

_ Screw the storm and the chaos transpiring all around them.  _

_ Screw the impending doom. _

_ She just wants to stay. Here. In the familiarity. In the warmth. _

BUZZ… BUZZ… BUZZ…

Kim pulls Trini’s phone out of her pocket and swipes the screen in slight confusion.

“Rich? What’s the prob--” But Kim trails off as a gut-churning look of terror sweeps across her face. “Max, baby. I need you to breathe for me… I don't understand. What do you mean they're gone? Everyone? Even Rich?”

And upon these words, Trini feels her raging storm nerves, and anxiety burst forth, taking over every inch of her body. 

_ Trini doesn't need to know the full details. Experience and fear can fill in the blanks. But she does know that one thing's for sure… _

_ They are fuuuuccked. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I know it's been a few weeks since my last update. Life's been more than a little bit busy and it's taken me a while to find time to get this out to you guys. 
> 
> Hopefully, it was worth the wait.
> 
> Would love to hear your thoughts / comments / feedback!
> 
> Enjoy!


	10. I've Forgotten How It Felt…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow. 
> 
> Everything is yellow.
> 
> That’s the first conscious thought that comes to mind as Trini’s world slowly comes back into view. Instead of tall pine trees and branches, though, she oddly enough finds herself standing in the dead center of downtown Angel Grove. No cars. No people. No signs of life at all.
> 
> The world is eerily dead, except for--
> 
> A strange yellow mist.  
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------  
> After an alarming call from Max, the gang struggles to figure out what to do as the ever looming threat grows more dangerous by the minute.

_Must… Move… Faster…_

The words loop over and over again. Almost to the point of incoherence. Like a repetitive internal manta, fueling every inch of Trini’s very being to move in ways that they’ve never moved before.

Trini zigzags through the dense maze of tall pine trees and brushes, barely paying attention at all to the steady pelting of razor-sharp rain. Nothing matters except for the task at hand. Get to the cars and back to the Hart house as fast as humanly possible.

_It’s been 15 minutes._

_15 minutes…_

_15 minutes of…_

_Confusion._

_Panic._

_Chaos._

_And god, that look on Kim’s face. The one that screamed with a silent terror of the unknown. Of the endless horrific possibilities of what had transpired while they were gone._  

Trini shakes her head, trying to physically erase the images from her mind.

“I can’t see jack shit!” Tommi screams out a few yards from behind Trini, her voice baring audible over the relentless onslaught of wind and rain. “How much farther?”

“200 yards. My car’s at the edge of the clearing,” Trini hollers back.

“Same for Jase’s truck,” Zack replies, his voice also echoing over the storm, but unlike Tommi’s, it’s origin is undetectable.

Trini hasn’t spotted either one of them in well over five minutes now. Not since they landed back on top of the cliff. But knows they aren’t too far away. She can feel their presence all around her. Like a steady pulsating heartbeat of adrenaline mixed with underlying determination. The signature calling cards of Tommi and Zack.

Then there’s Jason and Billy. Trini can sense them as well. Even though they’re still back on the ship. She can always feel them. Regardless of the situation. It’s the steady stream of reassurance and love that Trini has come to rely on to get her through those stray moments of darkness.

And finally, there’s the last feeling. The one that Trini has been desperately trying her best to ignore. It’s foreign yet oddly comforting. Like a song, her heart has forgotten to sing.

_It’s Kimberly._

“T?” Kim’s voice calls out laced with desperation.

“Here! I’m here!”

Trini spots the shadowy outline of Kim appears 15 yards to the left of her, moving at an even faster pace.   

“We’re close, right?”

“Yeah. Just a few more--”

CRACK.

The distinct sound of a tree branch snapping cuts through the steady hum of the storm like a shotgun, instantly causing Trini’s eyes to shoot upwards, frantically searching for the source.

_Nothing…_

_Nothing…_

_Nothing…_

_Shit!_

“Kimberly!” Trini screams as she lunges towards the taller girl with all of her might. She feels her hands connect with Kim’s shoulder and gives her a hard shove forward, right out of the path of the impending half ton branch.

And then nothing but complete and utter darkness.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_Yellow._

_Everything is yellow._

That’s the first conscious thought that comes to mind as Trini’s world slowly comes back into view. Instead of tall pine trees and branches, though, she oddly enough finds herself standing in the dead center of downtown Angel Grove. No cars. No people. No signs of life at all.

The world is eerily dead, except for--

A strange yellow mist.

It encompasses her from all sides, like an ominous halo, with no clear path to escape.

“Hello?” Trini calls out as she cautiously takes a few steps towards the edge of the mist. It beckons her like a moth to a flame. Almost taunting in nature. Trini knows in the depths of her soul that she shouldn't go near it, but its underlying drawl is just too alluring.

“Trini?”

It’s nothing more than a whisper, but nonetheless, Trini hears it. She whips around, scanning the mist, but once again is met with only emptiness.

“What the fuck?” Trini mutters to herself as confusion sets in. She inches even closer towards the mist, now only a mere few feet away from touch it.

“Trini! Help me!”

This time the voice rings out crystal clear with no mistaking who it belongs to.

“Max?!” Trini responds as her anxiety levels instantly spike. “Where are you?”

“I'm here! Please! It’s got me.”

“What's got you? Max?”

But only silence responds.

Trini waits, unable to breathe, let alone move, eyes locked in on the wall of yellow before her. Her heart pounds against the walls of her rib cage fueled by the sheer anticipation of what might happen next.

Then--

A blood-curdling scream pierces through the air.

_It’s Max._

Without another moment’s hesitation, Trini moves swiftly towards the edge of mist head on.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Trini awakes with a hard, sobering gasp of air. She instantly goes to sit up but only manages to move an inch or two before is slammed back on the bed by a tidal wave of pain. It radiates from multiple points all over her body, but none more intense than the right side of her face.

Trini’s fingers carefully make their way upwards towards her cheek and instantly come in contact with what feels to be a mess of butterfly bandages and raw flesh.

“Jesus,” Trini says as she pulls her hand away. “What the fuck happened?”

“Mommy says we’re not supposed to say that word,” Max replies, instantly grabbing Trini’s attention. He lingers in the doorway, almost as if there's an invisible barrier between him and Trini’s bedroom that he cannot pass through. There’s a familiar look of fear hiding within Max’s eyes. A fear that Trini’s know all too well. The one that comes with the realization that the monsters under the bed are very much real.

_Small._

_So painfully small._

_Was he always this small?_

“Hey, Kiddo. Whatcha doing way over there?” Trini flashes Max a warm smile in an attempt to put the boy at ease.

“You’re hurt.”

“And you’re afraid you're gonna hurt me more if you come too close?”

Max gives a rapid nod in reply causing his mop of curls to bounce around in the process.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Trini asks as she pushes herself up in the bed, trying her best to mask the pain as she does.

“Uh-huh.” Max cautiously ventures a few steps into the room but still makes no actual attempt to get anywhere near the bed.

“You've gotta come here if you want to know what it is.” Trini peels the comforter back, making room for Max. The boy accepts the invitation and climbs up into the bed, being extra careful not to bump into Trini. Trini wraps her free arm around him, pulling him even closer to her.

“What’s the secret?”

“Ah. I’m not sure. Are you ready for it?”

Max nods again, this time with a hint of a smile. “Tell me.”

“Okay,” Trini says readjusting the covers around them. “So, first off, you can’t hurt me.”

“I can’t?”

“Nope,” Trini replies. “You can’t.”

“But you were bleeding. Really, really badly.”

Trini’s fingers instinctively reach upwards once again, retracing the long gash along her cheek. “I was. But am I bleeding now?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” Trini gives Max’s curls a bit of a ruffle. “Wanna know why?”

“Cause Mommy took care of you.”

This comment brings a small smile to Trini’s face. “She did?”

“Yup. She and that girl with the boy’s name.”

“Tommi?” Trini asks.

“Yeah. She carried you into the house when they got here cause Mommy was crying too hard.”

_Kimberly was crying?_

_No, Gomez. Don’t read into it._

“Well, there’s another reason too. A way cooler reason,” Trini responds, trying to get the conversation back on track. “I’m a superhero.”

A momentary silence falls between the two of them as Trini waits for the curly haired boy to give some sort of response. But instead, Max sits there virtually unreadable, mulling over the sudden revelation in his head. Then--

“You are?”

“I am,” Trini said with a simple nod.

“Like a real, real superhero?”

“100% real. And that’s why you can’t hurt me. Cause I’ve got super healing powers.”

“Cool,” Max whispers and then snuggles up even closer to Trini. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course, kiddo.”

“It's my fault.”

“What is?” Trini asks, forcing herself to sit up a bit more. She studied Max’s face for a moment or two, searching for some more in-depth explanation to his words as he chews upon his bottom lips. And just like that, the fear is back in Max’s eyes.

“I made them disappear.”

“You?”

“Yeah,” Max responds with a quiver to his voice. “I wished that Richard would go away and then he did. But I didn't mean it. I really didn't. Richard was being mean to me and yelling, and then I wished he'd leave and then… And then…”

Max trails off into tears and instantly Trini's heartbreaks. She wraps her arms even tighter around the small boy, trying her best to provide whatever comfort she can. He clings to her, burying his head into her shirt and continues to sob.

“I… I didn't mean… He’s just so…” Max whimpers.

_Fuck._

_Of course, Kimberly has found herself another douchebag. A child-hating douchebag._

_Why the hell is she with him in the first place?_

_Why the hell did she leave..._

_No. Don’t do it. Not right now._

_Focus in on Max._

“It’s okay. You didn't cause this.” Trini lovingly strokes Max’s curls, and he attempts to catch his breath.

“I didn’t?”

“Nope.”

“But I wished it, and then they disappeared,” Max says, dead set in his beliefs.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened, Kiddo,” Trini responds.

“Okay.” Max takes a moment, sniffling back the remaining tears and then pushes himself up to face Trini. “I was watching Ninja Turtles in the living room. I’m not allowed to watch it. Mommy says I’m not old enough, but Grandpa said it was okay as long as I didn’t tell Grandma. And then there was this weird yellow light.”

“Yellow light?”

“Yeah. It flashed like a firework. Right outside the window. But when I went to look, there wasn’t anything out there. Just tons of rain. So I called for Grandpa, but he didn’t answer. Neither did Grandma either. Or even Richard. I checked the whole house for them. The bedrooms. The bathrooms. Even the basement, but I couldn’t find them. They were just gone. All gone.”

“Did you tell your Mommy this?” Trini asks, trying to mask her growing level of concern in her voice.

Max shakes his head in response. “No. I tried to tell them but when they came home everyone was yelling at each other and busy fixing your  and Zack’s boo-boos.”

“Zack’s--”

CRASH.

A loud crash echoes throughout the house, cutting Trini off mid-sentence. Her eyes instinctively dart towards the door and then back towards, forcing a reassuring but tentative smile upon her face.

“Let's head downstairs and see what everyone else is up to, okay?”

Max matches Trini’s smile and then, with a new found burst of energy, hops out of bed, leading the way.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Mommy! Look who’s up” Max announces a few minutes later as him and Trini make their way into the kitchen.

“Trini?” Kim’s exclaims, unable to hide the sheer relief within her voice. She pushes herself up from the kitchen table, almost toppling over her chair in the process, and rushes over to Max and Trini. Max instantly jumps up into her arm, like a miniature koala, but Kim’s attention is on Trini and Trini alone. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Well for starters, I had a visitor,” Trini responds.

Kim’s eyes fall upon Max. “Max… What did I say?”

“I didn’t wake her. I swear, Mommy. She was already up,” Max replies. “Tell her, Trini.”

“He didn’t.”

“Okay. I believe you, Boo.” Kim places a light kiss on Max’s forehead before placing him down at the kitchen table and then turns her attention back on Trini. “How are you feeling? How’s your cheek?”

Trini’s fingers drift up to the now throbbing gash and lightly trace it’s raw edges, suddenly a bit self-conscious about her newly obtained battle scar. “I’ll live.”

“Good. Cause you gave us one hell of a scare, Small Fry,” Tommi chimes in as she makes her way into the kitchen. She gives Trini a light but firm squeeze on the shoulder conveying a world of mixed emotions as she does.

_Trini knows that squeeze._

_That squeeze is Tommi’s way of saying that it wasn’t just a few minor battle injuries._

_No._

_That squeeze is only reserved for those few rare moments when their duties as Rangers become a little too dangerous for their likings._

_That’s the “I thought I lost you” squeeze._

“What happened?” Trini asks as Tommi plops herself down next to Max at the kitchen table.

“You saved me.” Kim quietly responds. “You pushed me outta the way and took on the full brunt of the tree branch yourself. It took us five full minutes just to free you. There was so much blood and your cheek…”

Kim trails off, unable to finish her thought as a hint of tears starts to pool in the corner of her chocolate brown eyes. She quickly looks away, trying to mask her sudden onslaught of emotions with a light cough.

“You saved my Mommy?”

“Sounds like it, Kiddo.”

“Wow. You really are a superhero!” Max exclaims and then instantly slaps his hand over his mouth in a realization of what he’s just said.

“She’s a what?” Tommi questions, shooting Trini a skeptical look as she does.

“I… Uh…”

“Who’s a superhero?” Zack asks as he joins the group in the kitchen.

Trini’s eyes are immediately drawn to Zack. He now sports a noticeable sling around his right arm, and his trademark impish grin is more than a little off. There’s a newfound layer of fear, hiding right beneath the surface. A fear that causes Trini’s skin to uncontrollably itch.

_Shit._

_Zack’s smile._

_This isn’t their normal, run-of-the-mill monster. Not with that smile._

_This is Rita level._

_No. Scratch that. This…_

_This is beyond that._

“Apparently Trini is a superhero,” Tommi replies with a slight level of annoyance to her voice.

“Oh really?” Zack’s grin widens. “What’s your superpower? Squeezing into teeny, tiny spaces?”

“Very funny,” Trini deadpans back. Her eyes trail down towards Zack’s arm and then back up to his face again. “You all right?”

“Always, Crazy Girl. Just some cuts and bruises. Nothing to sweat about.”

“If you call cuts and bruises a broken wrist and dislocated shoulder,” Tommi responds.

“How’d it happen?”

“Someone couldn’t wait for the rest of us and tried to free you by himself.”

Zack gives a simple shrug of the shoulders. “I told ya. I would’ve had it except for that rogue log.”

“You’re lucky to be alive.”

And Trini hears the light quiver in Tommi’s voice. The one that she’s trying so desperately to mask with sarcasm and light verbal jabs.

_Tommi’s scared._

_Tommi never gets scared._

_What if we can’t--_

_No. Stop, Gomez. Don’t go there. Not now._

“What’s the latest from the ship? Have we’ve been able to get the comms up?” Trini asks in an attempt to change the subject.

“Not 100%. I’ve gotten through to Billy for a few minutes here and there, but it’s far from stable,” Tommi responds. “There’s definitely something blocking it.”

“And the teleporter?”

“Still a big no go. But B-man’s workin’ on it.” Zack heads towards the fridge and starts to rummage around. “He’ll let us know as soon as it’s back up.”

Zack resurfaces moments later with a carton of chocolate milk and then takes a long chug, entirely forgoing any formalities.

“Seriously?” Tommi sighs.

“What?” Zack wipes the traces of chocolate milk from his mouth with his uninjured arm. He plops himself down on the other side of the kitchen table and offers up the carton to Max.

Max’s face lights up with instantaneous glee as he follows Zack’s lead and takes a huge gulp of milk straight from the carton.  

“What about…” Trini trails off as her eyes drift back over toward Kimberly, not fully able to finish her sentence. But she doesn’t need to. Kimberly’s face says it all. She more than knows what Trini is alluding to.

“There’s no trace of them whatsoever,” Kim quietly replies. She runs her hands through her short, messy locks and lets out a light breath of air, once again trying to mask her ever-growing emotions. “We’ve turned over every inch of this place. Nothing. It’s as if they just vanished in thin air.”

“Is it just them? What about the rest of Angel Grove?”

A sobering silence falls upon the kitchen as Kimberly, Tommi, and Zack all look towards one another, silently praying for someone else to speak first. To answer the question looming in the air.

_Shit._

_Shit._

_Shit._

Trini swallows down the massive lump of fear fighting its way up from the pits of her stomach and gives a slight nod in confirmation. “So… Now what?”   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this took WAY longer than expected to get out. Had a few pressing deadlines that had to take priority and then there was all of the usual holiday craziness.
> 
> Not 100% happy with this chapter but needed to crank through it in order to get to the next stretch of the story... which featuring a whole lot of Kim / Trini one on one time.
> 
> As always, feel free to comment away. Really appreciate all of your thoughts and feedback.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. - Excuse the typos. Running on nothing but pure caffeine at the moment.


	11. Before the World Fell at our Feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim takes a moment, mulling over the information while her fingers absentmindedly play with the sleeve of the flannel, and then--
> 
> “I’ll go with you.”
> 
> “What?!” Both Trini and Tommi blurt out in unison. 
> 
> “Oh this is gonna be good,” Zack snickers under his breath, causing Tommi to chuck a throw pillow straight at his head.
> 
> “No,” Trini replies as her body visibly stiffens at the mere thought of the idea settles in.
> 
> “Why not?” Kim asks.  
> \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> With yet another mysterious disturbance popping up, Trini reluctantly agrees to team up with Kim and go back into the heart of the storm.

_ 1…  _

_ 2…  _

_ 3…  _

_ 4…  _

_ 5… _

Trini takes a deep, sobering breath and then clicks the heavy metal button on the receiver. It’s ritualistic. A steady and constant rhythm to her actions for the last hour.

“Billy?” Trini’s voice cuts through the silence of the basement, strong but with a lingering quiver to it. She waits for a response. 

Nothing.

_ 1…  _

_ 2…  _

_ 3…  _

“Crazy Girl?” Zack calls out from the top of the basement step.

_ Fuck. _

Trini puts the receiver down and runs her hands over her ponytail, letting out a deep, much-needed sigh in the process. “Down here.”

“Any word from Jase or the B-man?” Zack comes into view as he jogs down the steps and pulls up a random chair next to Trini. Although he sports his standard boyish grin, there’s a newfound tiredness hidden within his eyes. A silent but noticeable plea for any sort of respite whatsoever.

“Nope,” Trini replies. “Nothing but static for the last hour.”

A momentary stillness falls between the two of them as Zack nervously fidgets with a stray thread on his makeshift sling. He avoids making eye contact, a telltale sign that Trini knows all too well. There’s something more. Another reason for his sudden presence.

“So…”

“Tommi?” Trini asks cutting Zack off.

“Huh?”

“She sent you, didn’t she?”

“No,” Zack responds a little to fast.

“Riiiight.” Trini stares Zack down with pure and utter skepticism.

“Maybe?”

“Knew it,” Trini replies.

“T—“

“You’re worse than Bapu.”

“Hey!” Zack recoils pretending to be offended. “I’m nowhere that bad.”

Trini doesn’t even humor Zack with a response. Instead, she simply goes to reach for the receiver again but Zack stops her.

“Trini, please…”

“Zack--”

“No,” Zack says with an unusual forcefulness to his voice. “You heard what Wall Dad said. We won't survive this shit unless our Ranger bond is rock solid.”

“It is.”

“I’m not talking about you and me, Crazy Girl.” 

Trini feels her teeth slowly sink into her bottom lip as she lets the silence crash back down igniting every inch of her skin with an all encompassing, insatiable itch. She shifts uncomfortably under the ever patient and understanding gaze of her best friend. 

_ No. Scratch that. Her brother.  _

_ Then why is this so freakin’ hard? _

“I don’t know if I can do this.” The words come of Trini’s mouth before she can fully realize what she’s saying. 

“Maybe you can’t,” Zack replies.

Trini’s head whips around at this comment as a wave of shock hits her dead on. “Seriously? That’s your response? What the fuck, man?”  

“Hear me out.” Zack flashes Trini a reassuring smile and scoots his stool closer. “Maybe you’re right. You can’t do it. And that’s okay. We’ll still figure this out. We always do… But--”

“But, what?”

“But maybe you can. Maybe you’ll find the courage to bite the bullet and confront Kim head on. And it’ll probably be painful and awkward and involve a whole lot of whiskey. But just maybe the outcome will blindside you… in a good ‘makeup sex for months’ sorta way.”

Trini can’t help but let a small laugh of slight amusement slip out and shakes her head, “Makeup sex? Dude, she’s got a fiance.”

“Have you spent time with that guy? He’s one douchey comment away from being Ty Fleming’ed.” Zack playfully leans over and gives Trini a nudge with his shoulder. “And we all know Kimmie’s got one hell of a right hook.”

Trini sighs and leans her head down against Zack’s shoulder, letting the silence in for a third time, but unlike before, it’s slightly less suffocating. Almost tolerable. As if it’s just another randomly honest moment between the two of them. 

“Hello?... Is anyone there?” Billy’s voice suddenly crackles through the speaker of the communicator, instantly grabbing the attention of both Trini and Zack. 

Trini snatches up the receiver. “Billy?”

“Trini?”

“Yeah. It’s me. And Zack. We’re here. And safe… As safe as we can be. You guys okay?”

“Yes, we’re okay. Still no luck with the teleporters, but at least I’ve figured out what was jamming our comms… Or at least I think I did. Can’t be 100% sure. Think it might be this underlying electrical charge that residing within--”

“Billy.” Trini says cutting Billy off. “That’s great and all. But is there any update on what’s causing the storm? Or why everyone up and vanished?”

“Right. Sorry. That’s why I’m contacting you. Jase and Alpha 5 have been running through the archives and came across something that might be relevant. There’s a vague reference to an ancient artifact called the  Epithymía stone, which when activated, seems to be able to trigger similar type anomalies such as severe weather and temporary displacement.” 

“Okay,” Trini replies, brows knitting up with a mixture of anxiety and confusion. “So, do we have any ideas on who might’ve activated it? Or where it even is?”

“No… But we’re working on it. There are still two more volumes of the Ranger Chronicles that Jase needs to…,” Billy trails off into silence for a second, leaving both Trini and Zack with nothing but bated breath. Then--

“Trini? You still there?”

“Yes, of course. What’s going--”

“There’s an unusual charge of energy that just appeared on the heatmap. It’s two blocks or so away from the Krispy Kreme and looks to be doubling in size by the minute.”

“Shit,” Zack swears under his breath.

“We’re on it,” Trini responds without a second thought. “Keep working on getting the teleporter back online and we’ll go check out the Krispy Kreme, okay?”

“Right… Okay. Sounds good. But please, be safe. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet.”

“We will. Promise,” Trini says with an eerily calmness to her voice. She places the receiver back down and lets out a heavy sigh. “Looks like it’s time for me to bite that bullet.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“No fuckin’ way,” Tommi exclaims with an extra level of annoyance to her voice. She plops herself down on the sofa in the living room, firmly crossing her arms as she does. It’s a clear cut sign that Tommi is anything but amused.

“Tommi…” Trini responds. She runs her hands over her ponytail, attempting to dissipate her ever growing frustration. 

“Don’t ‘Tommi’ me, Small Fry. You’re not going. Not by yourself.”

“Told ya she wouldn’t go for it,” Zack chimes in from the other side of the living room, making sure to stay far out of the physical striking distance of Tommi. He knows better. 

“Then what’s your plan? Huh? We just sit here on our asses and do nothing?” Trini fires back.

“I’ll go.”

“And what happens when the communicator goes down again? Who’s gonna fix it?” 

“Zack can handle it.”

“Zack?” Trini openly scoffs only adding to Tommi’s aggravation. “Two words. Alpha 5.”

“Hey! That was so not my fault. I had no clue Alpha was behind the control panel when I connected those wires,” Zack pipes up.

“It took Billy over a month to reattach his head.” 

“Fine. You’ll fix it. Or hell… Let the rugrat take a crack at it. I don’t care. But your ass is staying put. End of story,” Tommi replies raising the volume of her voice with each and every word. She locks eyes with Trini and suddenly--

_ Trini sees it. _

_ Fuck. _

_ That look. _

_ Trini’s only seen that look on Tommi’s face a handful of times in the course of their friendship. A subtle look that somehow manages to speak volumes.  _

_ It’s the same look that Tommi had upon her face when she showed up at Trini’s apartment the morning after Kimberly first up and disappeared.  _

Trini makes her way across the living room and sits down next to Tommi on the couch. “I’ll be okay.”

“You can’t guarantee that.” 

“Neither can you,” Trini responds with a hint of a smile. “But that’s just part of the job, right?”

Tommi’s hard fast scowl slowly transforms into a matching smile and gives a small but comforting shake of her head, sending her wild mane of sun-kissed curls bouncing in every direction. “You kill me, Small Fry.”

“What were you guys arguing about?” Kim asks as she makes her way down the stairs. Trini’s eyes instantly gravitate towards the raven-haired woman and hone in one simple but jarring detail. 

_ Yellow flannel. _

_ Kimberly’s wearing Trini’s yellow flannel shirt. The one she’s had since she was 15 years old and mysteriously used to find its way into Kimberly’s dresser drawers every few months or so.   _

_ It’s the shirt Trini wore for almost two months straight after Kimberly left because it still smelled like… _

_ Stop it, Gomez.  _

“Trini’s trying to convince Tommi that it’s a good idea for her to go by herself to the Krispy Kreme to check out some strange ass energy that Billy picked up on. And Tommi’s ready to go all Annie Wilkes on her to prevent her from leaving,” Zack answers instantly drawing death-like stares from both Tommi and Trini. 

“Wait. You heard from Billy?” Kim slides herself down in an open armchair and tugging the edges of the worn yellow flannel around her body as she does. “What did he say?”

“Nothing too much. They think they’ve found a lead… Something called the Epithymía stone… but need to do more research,” Trini replies still unable to pull her eyes off of Kim. “We got cut off by the map lighting up.”

“Just around the Krispy Kreme?”

Trini gives a slight nod in response. “Yeah, and it appears to be growing in size. Or at least that’s what Billy said.” 

Kim takes a moment, mulling over the information while her fingers absentmindedly play with the sleeve of the flannel, and then--

“I’ll go with you.”

“What?!” Both Trini and Tommi blurt out in unison. 

“Oh this is gonna be good,” Zack snickers under his breath, causing Tommi to chuck a throw pillow straight at his head.

“No,” Trini replies as her body visibly stiffens at the mere thought of the idea settles in.

“Why not?” Kim asks.

_ Why not? _

_ Why not? _

_ Trini can think of a million and one reasons why not. _

_ Kimberly is the last person on the face of the earth she wants to venture out into the heart of the storm and face unknown danger with. _

_ But… _

_ But, if Trini digs a little deeper, down into her buried well of emotions, she knows that Kimberly is also the only person on the face of the earth she wants by her side… Especially now. _

“For starters, how about your rugrat? You’re just gonna up and leave him?” Tommi replies, ripping Trini right out of her train of thought.

“He just passed out upstairs and given how exhausted he is, he probably won’t be up for at least a good three hours or so. More than enough time for Trini and I to get down to Krispy Kreme, check things out, and get back,” Kim says with an underlying finality to her voice that screams there is no room for negotiation. Her mind is already made up.

“And if he wakes up?”

“I’m sure between the two of you, you can keep him alive until we get back... Right?” Kim shoots a look over to Zack, silently signaling for him to weigh in.

“Sure thing. We’ve totally got Mad Max covered,” Zack says.

“Mad Max?” Kim questions.

“Yeah. He needed a nickname, so I gave him one,” Zack responds with a simple shrug.

“Of course you did.” A warm smile slides across Kim’s face for a moment or two before she turns her attention back to Tommi. “So what else?” 

“I’ve got nothing,” Tommi says with a sigh of resignation. “Small Fry?”

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ The itch to run, hits Trini like a freight train. It’s intense and unrelenting. Push its way from the depths of her brains down towards her legs, willing them to move.  _

_ No. Not again.  _

_ The words of Zack start to play, like a soft constant echo within the confine of her head. _

_ ‘But maybe you can’ _

_ ‘But maybe you can’ _

_ ‘But maybe you… _

“Works for me.” Trini quietly replies. 

“Good. It’s settled. Trini and I will go check out what’s going on with the Krispy Kreme and you guys will keep monitoring the comms.” Kim pries herself off of the couch and locks eyes with Trini. “Meet down here in five?”

“Yeah. In five.” Trini gives a nod in response, never once taking her eyes off of the woman she once called her home. 

_ Just maybe she can.  _

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Trini’s hands grip the steering wheel of Jason’s pickup truck for dear life, knuckles almost solid white from the sheer pressure. She’s fighting tooth and nail against the invisible but deadly force buried within the gale-like winds and sheets of rain that’s attempting to push the truck right off the side of the road. It’s like nothing Trini has ever experienced before… and that’s saying a lot given the last decade of her life.  

“T?” Kim’s voice cuts through the steady drumbeat of the storm against the cabin of the truck like a lifeline just waiting to be taken. 

“What?” Trini responds through gritted teeth, too terrified to budge an inch, let alone take her eyes off of the windshield. 

“I can drive, if you want me to.” 

“I told you already. I’m good. Just not used to driving a truck. That’s all.”

“All the more reason to pull over and let me drive. F-150s can be insanely temperamental even in the best of weather.”

“How would you know?” Trini questions.

“Cause I drive one,” Kim responds without missing a beat.

“Richard drives a truck?” 

“Oh god no. He’d never be caught dead behind the wheel of a truck.” Kim lets a light chuckle slip through as she tucks a loosen strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s mine.”

_ Kimberly Hart drives a truck? _

_ A pick-up truck? _

_ Never in a million years would Trini ever assume-- _

“I know. It’s not the most orthodox car choice but it was the the only thing I could afford after I had to get rid of my Harley. Can’t really fit a carseat on a motorcycle,” Kim continues to ramble on as Trini’s grip on the steering wheel naturally relaxes. 

_ A motorcycle? _

_ Kimberly freakin’ Hart on a motorcycle.  _

_ God, that’s… _

_ No, stop it, Gomez.  _

“Yeah. Guess you can’t,” Trini responds, trying desperately to maintain her cool, I-don’t-give-a-fuck drawl. 

“Rich wants me to get rid of it. He calls it a death trap. But I just can’t bring myself to. It’s kinda just grown on me, ya know? Like I can’t imagine driving anything else.” 

The steady sound of splattering of rain and wind settles back between them as Trini finds her mind speeding down a path that she’s managed to avoid for the longest time.

_ Why now? _

_ Why is it so easy to fall back into old habits? _

_ Why can’t she find the courage to say what needs to be said?  _

_ Why... _

“Why are you with him?” The words tumble out of Trini’s mouth crashing their way through the silence of the car like a sudden slap to the face. A instant look of gut-churning shock sweeps across her face as the horrific realization hits that she has just said that last question out loud. “Shit. I didn’t--”

“No, it’s okay. It’s a valid question,” Kim responds. 

“I didn’t mean to say it. I just…” Trini trails off. Her mind scrambles, desperate for something -- anything -- to help pry her foot out of her mouth.

“T... Honestly, don’t apologize.” Kim lets out a deep sigh as an underlying hint of sadness appears within her chocolate brown eyes. “There’s a lot we need to talk about… A whole lot. And I know I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Trini says in nothing more than a whisper. She feels every inch of her body shrinking upon itself. Skin crawling with the growing anxiety of what’s about to come.

“No, I do… I really do… It was my plan all along… Before this… Before--”

Trini, though, fails to hear Kim’s last words as suddenly a rouge mailbox smashes through the windshield causing her to lose control of the truck. The last thing she registers before darkness fully takes hold is the familiar sensation of a hand wrapping itself around her own, tightly interlocking their fingers together and giving a reassuring squeeze in the process. It’s a move that Trini has only experienced once before in her life. In Billy’s minivan, on the infamous  night they found their coins. Seconds before the train up and smashed into them. The same exact hand reached out and firmly took hold of hers.

Kimberly Hart’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise. Trying to stick to a more frequent posting schedule this year and so far, so good. 
> 
> This is a bit of a set-up chapter for what's to come, but promise that the next few ones finally dive into the real heart of the matter between Trini and Kim. 
> 
> As always, feel free to comment away. Love hearing your thoughts.
> 
> Enjoy!


	12. If I could do it all again…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You called me princess?” Kim’s eyes flutter open as a small smile crawls across her lips.
> 
> Trini lets out a harsh laugh of surprise. “It slipped.”
> 
> “Old habits--”
> 
> “Die hard,” Trini finishes Kim’s sentence with a matching smile. “I'm not the only one. You called me mi vida.”
> 
> “Touche.”   
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini and Kim start to reconnect as they venture into the heart of the storm.

“Trini!” Max's panic-stricken voice echoes throughout the sea of dense yellow fog, jolting Trini into consciousness. Her eyes dart wildly around looking for something -- anything -- remotely familiar. But there's nothing.

Nothing but yellow.

“Max?” Trini calls back. She spins around once… Twice… Three times. But still nothing. Not even a hint of a shadow. 

_ How did she get here? _

_ And where the hell is here, to begin with? _

Trini fights against the ever-growing wave of anxiety ready to crash down upon her. She takes a deep, sobering breath and runs her hands over her ponytail.

_ Think, Gomez. Think… _

“Trini? Where are you? I can't see you?” 

“I’m here. Just stay put, kiddo. I’ll find you.”

“Trini?”

Max’s voice lingers. It teases Trini, egging her anxiety on. She feels her heart rate speed up as her heart pounds against her ribcage like an out of control jackhammer. 

“MAX!” Trini screams into the yellow abyss.

But…

Only the deafening roar of silence calls back.

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

“Trini…” a strange voice answers causing a defined set of chills to run down the length of Trini’s spine. Unlike Max’s, this voice is nothing but menacing in nature. As if belonging to someone-- or something-- that has one intention in mind. “Are you ready to play?”

_ Run. _

_ She needs to freakin’ run. And now. _

_ But there’s nowhere to go… _

“Show yourself!” Trini replies with all the confidence she can muster. 

“And reveal who I am? Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’m not looking to play games. Tell me who you are or-“

“Or what?” The voice cuts her off, calling out Trini’s bluff. “Such fire to that voice. You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” 

“You have no fuckin’ idea,” Trini growls. Her hands naturally ball themselves into fists as she mentally prepares herself to battle.

“There’s no need for the anger, Trini.” 

“How’d you know my name?” Trini questions as her eyes once again scan the all-encompassing yellow fog, desperate to pinpoint the source of the voice. But still nothing.

“Oh, that’s not all I know.”

“Like what?”

“All in due time, Yellow. All in due time.”

A sickening laugh erupts from the depths of the fog, causing Trini’s skin to crawl. A familiar sense of terror blossoms within the depths of her stomach. She dryly swallows and tries not to let her mind head down the rabbit hole of horrifying possibilities. 

_ They aren’t prepared for what’s to come…  _

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Trini… Trini, please… C’mon you need to wake up!”

Another voice infiltrates Trini’s consciousness, warmer in tone but laced with a similar frantic quality that immediately causes her heart rate to pike. She gives a hard blink as her world comes into soft focus. Multicolor blobs flicker in front of Trini, angry with rapid movement. She can’t make heads or tails of anything. Everything is just too fuzzy.

“Trini!” The voice yells out this time punctuated with a harsh jerk of Trini’s shoulders, igniting her nerves like the fourth of the July. 

_ Pain. _

_ Sweet Jesus.  _

_ Everything freakin’ hurts. _

Trini slowly licks her lips and is instantly greeted by the familiar metallic taste of blood. She blinks again. The blobs morph into more identifiable shapes. Still fuzzy around the edges, but clear in appearance nonetheless. A sea of rain, smoke, and broken glass surrounds Trini on all sides, making it virtually impossible to determine up from down. 

Trini blinks for a third time, bringing even further clarity to the last few fuzzy objects, including the frightened, ravened hair girl hovering in front of her. She instantly takes note of the peppering of gashes and cuts along the length of Kim’s body. 

_ They’re bad but from what she can tell not life-threatening…   _

_ At least there’s that. _

“Kim?” Trini croaks, voice hoarse from the thick layer of smoke residing within her lungs. 

Kim lets out a choked sob of relief and runs her hands through her messy, rain-soaked hair. “Thank god.”

“What happened?”

“Not sure. I think something smashes through the windshield and then--”

“Then I lost control,” Trini finishes Kim’s sentence as a tidal wave of memories come crashing down upon her. She attempts to straighten herself up, but can’t seem to move an inch. The mangled remains of the steering wheel, along with the seat belt, have managed to wrap themselves around Trini’s body like a starving boa constrictor, tightening its grasp with each and every breath she takes. 

“Don’t move.” Kim contorts her body around the jungle of tangled metal and broken glass, positioning herself so that she’s all but straddling Trini. 

“Kim…” Trini licks her lips again, getting a deeper taste of blood as she does. 

_ She’s injured. _

_ Again… _

_ Cause that seems to be her ever fuckin’ curse.  _

_ Ever since…  _

“I said stop moving.”

“I’m not.”

“God, I forgot…” Kim says as she works to loosen the mangled pieces of seat belt from around Trini’s body.

“What?”

“Just how stubborn you can be,” Kim responds without missing a beat. Her hands gently ghost over Trini’s skin, taking the utmost care not to further aggravate her ever presence injuries. “Try moving your arm now.”

Trini carefully attempts to wiggle her left arm as Kim pulls against a stray piece of the steering wheel that’s pinning it against the center console, but it’s no use. Even with her heightened strength and flexibility, she's stuck. “Nope.”

“Okay.” Kim pauses for a moment, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and lets out a frustrated huff of air. She scans the cab of the truck, as the wheels in her head turn. “What if we--”

WHOOSH.

The distinct sound of flames igniting cut through the air, followed by the all too familiar warmth of a nearby fire. 

“Shit,” Kim says as she whips her head around, looking for the source of the flames. There’s a sudden expression of fear that sweeps across her face instantly causing Trini’s stomach to flip flop with a familiar sense of anxiety.

“Kim…”

“Shit… Shit… Shit…” Kim utters under her breath. She turns her attention back towards Trini and frantically starts tugging at the seat belt. 

“Kim, you should--”

“Don’t.”

“What?”

Kim lets out a guttural scream of raw energy as she pulls the mangled seat belt with every ounce of strength she can muster. There’s a small but noticeable pop, and suddenly the seat belt gives away. “Tell me to save myself.”

“You should.”

“Shut up.” Kim works quickly, clearing the stray pieces of metal and glass debris from around Trini as a vibrant orange hue continues to seep into their surroundings. 

“Kim. Seriously. Get yourself outta here.”

“No,” Kim says through gritted teeth. Beads of sweat roll down from her temples as the temperature rapidly rises, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Trini frantically twists and turns her body, ignoring the lashes of pain that accompany each move she makes. The orange hue transforms into fiery red embers, screaming a final warning of what’s to come. 

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ There’s no time. _

_ Kimberly needs to get her ass out of there. Before… _

In a sudden burst of fear-driven desperation, Trini plants her hands on Kim’s shoulders and gives a hard shove, sending the taller girl stumbling back onto the front dashboard.  “Go! You’ve got Max… And Richard… I’ve got no--”

“No!” Kim screams back, eyes brimming with tears. “I’m not losing you. Not again.”

Without another moment’s hesitation, Kim lunges forward, grabs hold of the front of Trini’s shirt, and kicks clear the remains of the broken windshield. She yanks Trini out of the driver’s seat with all of her might and then shoves them through the opening.

“FUCK!” Trini screams as every inch of her feels as if it's been doused in gasoline and lit on fire. Tears uncontrollably stream down her face as she tries to hold onto consciousness for dear life. 

_ It’s too much. _

_ All of it. _

_ Just too much.  _

“Almost there… Just stay with me, T… I’ve got you… It’s gonna be--” 

BAM!

And then the sudden and abrupt comfort of blackness. It wraps itself around Trini, like a warm quilt. Offering temporary relief from the crippling pain. Deep down she knows that she needs to fight against it. That it’s serenity is just a poor illusion, masking the truth of what its presence really means. 

“Mi vida…”

A faint and slightly raspy voice calls out, barely audible over the steady orchestra of gale force winds and pounds rain. 

_ Did Kimberly just say mi vida? _

_ To her? _

_ Fuck. _

_ Of all the things that Kimberly could’ve said to Trini, she had to pick that. The singular term of endearment that she had taught Kimberly all those years ago. _

_ The name that Kimberly reserve for those moments… tender moments that Trini would tuck away in the recess of her memory for when she needed to be reminded that someone did indeed love her. _

Trini pushes herself out of the comforts of blackness and straight back into the harsh light of day. She takes a long gasp of air as waves of pain once again roll back over her body. This time, though, it’s accompanied by a new sensation. Raw and angry. Radiating down from the base of her neck and wrapping around towards Trini collar bone. 

Trini rolls over onto her back with a hiss of pain and lets out a thick, smoke ladened cough. “Kim?”

A sudden and distinct sensation of undiluted fear shoots through Trini’s very being, like a strangely familiar bolt of lighting. 

_ She has a hunch who that fear belongs to…  _

_ No. Scratch that. She knows exactly who it is. _

_ Trini has felt that fear countless times before. It always seemed to blindside her during the heat of a battle. Like a subconscious beacon for help that only she was meant to hear. _

_ It’s Kimberly.  _

Trini pushes herself up into a sitting position, momentarily ignoring the stinging pelts of rain slashing against her skin, and scans her surroundings. There, only a mere few feet away from the flaming wreckage that once was Jason’s beloved truck, lies Kim. Still and almost lifeless in appearance. 

And suddenly…

Trini can’t seem to catch her breath. Her eyes fixate on the image of Kim as her subconscious starts to rattle off an incoherent emotion driven prayer to whatever God happens to be listening.

_ No… _

_ No… _

_ No… _

“Kim!” Trini scrambles across the debris-littered asphalt toward Kim, willing her limbs to move despite the wave after wave of mind-numbing pain crashing down upon her. She quickly closes the space between them, reaching the raven-haired girl in record time and instantly goes into crisis autopilot mode.

_ Pulse? _

_ Check. _

_ Breathing? _

_ Faint but steady. _

_ Broken bones? _

_ Nothing that’s visible. _

“Princess…” Trini lets out a shaky breath of air and then gently pulls Kim’s body up into her lap. She ever so carefully traces her fingertips along the edge of Kim’s cheek along an invisible path that she's known by heart as she holds onto the fact that Kim’s alive. Then, using her free hand, Trini digs into her back pocket and pulls out her power coin. It’s a long shot, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She places her coin down on Kim’s chest, and instantly the yellow gem comes to life. It shimmers against the dull grays of the storm like a beacon, radiating a powerful aura as it does. 

Trini simply watches it for a moment or two, rising and falling with each breath that Kim takes, then--

“You called me princess?” Kim’s eyes flutter open as a small smile crawls across her lips.

Trini lets out a harsh laugh of surprise. “It slipped.”

“Old habits--”

“Die hard,” Trini finishes Kim’s sentence with a matching smile. “I'm not the only one. You called me mi vida.”

“Touche.” 

“Does anything hurt?” Trini carefully helps Kim sit up, removing her power coin in the process and shoving it back into her jeans.

“Yeah. No. I’m fine. Just your run-of-the-mill cuts and bruises.”

“You sure?” Trini can't hide her skepticism as her eyes hone in on the array of angry charred gashes that adorn Kim's body like battle scars.

“100% sure.”

“But--”

“Are you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Kim motions towards the raw patch of flesh on the side of Trini’s neck, causing Trini to instinctively reach up and touch it. But before Trini’s fingers can make contact with the skin, a hand darts out, stopping her. “Don’t.”

“What?”

“You’re kidding me, right? T, you’ve got like at least a second-degree burn, if not worse.”

“How’d you know? You a doctor or something?”

“No. I dropped that a long time ago. Just didn’t fit me, ya know? Actually, I’m a barber now,” Kim responds. She straightens up even further and wipes the rain away from her face. “Own my own shop and everything.”

“Wait. You own a barbershop?”

“Yeah.” Kim continues to check over her cuts as Trini stares at her in slight disbelief. “Don’t act all shocked. It makes sense if you think about it.”

“No. I just…” Trini trails off not sure exactly how to finish her thought. Instead, she lets the sounds of the storm dancing around them filling the silence. 

_ Kimberly Ann Hart. _

_ Truck drivin’... Portland livin’... Barbershop ownin’... Kimberly. _

_ Her Kimberly. _

_ But she isn’t. Not really. Not anymore. _

_ She’s someone else.  _

_ Someone new. _

_ Someone with a whole new life.  _

_ What else doesn’t she know about her? _

_ What else-- _

“Hey,” Kim says, snapping Trini out of her rapid-fire thoughts. She reaches over and gently places her hand on Trini’s forearm, giving it the lightest of squeezes as she does. It’s an old trick. One that Trini all but forgot about. Buried away in the depth of her mental storage where all things Kimberly Hart tend to reside. It’s Kim’s subtle way of pulling Trini out of the rabbit hole of her own thoughts. “Ask me something.”

“Huh?”

“Go on. Ask me something.”

“Are you crazy? Kim, look around. We just barely survived crashing and almost being blown to bits. And we’re in the middle of a freakin’ hurricane level storm.” Trini moves her arms around, punctuating her point. “This isn’t the best of times to talk.”

“It’s a perfect time.”

“Alocada,” Trini mutters under her breath with a firm shake of her head.

“Don’t think I don’t know what that means.” Kim reaches into her jeans pocket, pulls out her power coin, and hands it to Trini. “Here… Give me yours back.”

Trini studies the coin for a moment or two, watching the flecks of pink dance beneath the surface, just itching to come life once again, then pulls out her own coin and hands it over to Kim. 

“Thanks,” Kim says taking the yellow coin into her own hand. “Zordon said we needed to strengthen the Ranger bond, so that’s what we’re gonna do. Besides, we’ve always healed faster with each other’s coins, remember?”

“Yeah,” Trini quietly responds, flipping the smooth pink coin over and over again in her hands. “I do.”

“So… Ask me something. Anything.”

“Okay.” Trini licks her lips and exhales a breath of air she didn’t realize she’s been holding onto. “How’d you wind up owning your own barbershop?”

“Starting with the easy ones, huh?” Kim replies with a hint of a playful smirk.

“No, I--” 

“Hey. I’m just kidding with you.” Kim gives Trini a slight nudge with her shoulders causing a small but noticeable smile to slide across Trini’s face as well. “It’s a good question.” 

Kim pauses for a second, running her hands through her now soaked hair, tucking it behind her ears as she does and matches Trini with a long exhale. “Well, I guess it all started when I got to Portland. I was somewhat desperate for work and happened to stumble across this barbershop with a help wanted sign in the window. Pete’s. I took a chance and went in. It wasn’t like it was my first choice or anything. But, at the time, I was almost six months pregnant and needed the cash. I think the owner Pete took pity on me or something and offered me the job right there on the spot… It wasn’t much at first. Just some odd jobs around the shop. But then one day, after I’d been working there for a month or two, this girl walked in. Kaylee. She couldn’t have been more than 16 at most. And I swear to god, she was like your clone. Right down to the braids and beanie. You know, those ones you used to wear in the side your hair when we first met.”

Trini’s hand subconsciously reaches up and traces the side of her head as the memory washes over her. “Yeah.”

“Anyway. Kaylee looked scared shitless just to even be in the shop. In fact, she almost up bolted when Pete asked her what she was doing there. But then somehow she worked up the courage to ask for a haircut and of course, Pete, being super old school refused. He loved using the excuse ‘I don’t know how to cut women's hair’ any chance he could get. Don’t get me wrong. He was a good guy and all. Just one of those types… I dunno what made me do what I did next, but the look on her face… It just… Like I couldn’t bear to let her down. So, I asked Pete if it would be okay if I cut her hair instead. And, to my surprise, he agreed.”

“What happened after that?” 

Kim gives a shrug of her shoulders. “One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was doing it full-time… Pete passed away two years ago and left me the shop. Never in a million years did I think I’d be a barber for a living, but honestly, I kinda love it. There’s just something really rewarding about it. Like I can help give people the extra confidence boost to be who they really want to be, ya know?” 

“Make sense,” Trini responds. “You were always good at that.”

“I was?”

“Yeah.” 

A comfortable silence falls between the two of them, as Trini can’t help but sneak a glance at the raven-haired girl sitting next to her. 

_ So many questions.  _

_ God, where the hell is she supposed to start?  _

_ She wants to know it all. _

_ No. Scratch that. She NEEDS to. _

_ But--  _

“Ask me another,” Kim says, once again interrupting Trini’s stream of consciousness. 

“Another? Shouldn’t you be asking me one?”

“I will… I figure, though, I owe you a few ones first.”

“Kim, I already told you. You don’t owe me--”

“Anything,” Kim replies with a hint of underlying sarcasm to her voice. “Nice try, T. But you and I both know that’s not the truth. So you can drop the act.”

“It’s not an--” 

But before Trini can utter another word, Kim clamps her hand over Trini’s mouth. “Shhhh.”

Trini shoots Kim a look of confusion, but Kim’s too distracted to offer up any explanations. She removes her hand from Trini’s mouth and slowly rises to her feet, never once taking her eyes off of something in the distance.

“Kim?” Trini whispers, scrambling to her feet as well. Fear and anxiety start to gnaw again in the pit of her stomach. Something isn’t right.

They stand there side by side for a moment or two as the storm continues to rage around them, absolutely still, then--

“Someone’s watching us,” Kim quietly says. 

“You sure?”

“100%.” Kim raises her eyebrows with the tiniest hint of a nod, motioning towards the spot she’s been fixated on for the last few seconds. “Over there. On the rooftop of that building… There’s someone there.”

Trini’s eyes scan the horizon, concentrating her full attention on the spot that Kim flagged. “I don’t--”

A hulking shadowy outline of someone-- or something-- suddenly pops into view. It’s only visible for a mere second, before disappearing back into the vast stormy nothingness, but nonetheless, it’s long enough. Kim’s right. There’s something there.

“You saw it?”

Trini nods with a harsh swallow. “Yeah. I did.”

“Looks like we’re gonna have to raincheck catching up after all.” Kim lets out a long sigh. She flips Trini her yellow power coin. “You good to go?”

Trini pockets her coin and then follows suit, tossing Kim back her own. “Always, Princess.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure exactly how I feel about this chapter, but here it is anyway... 
> 
> As always, feel free to comment away. Would love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Enjoy!


	13. ...I know I'd Go Back to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bullshit,” Kim huffs out as she finishes descending back down the wall. She makes her way over to Trini and flips up her visor. “T, what’s going on?”
> 
> “I slipped. That’s all. No big deal,” Trini replies. She goes to stand but is suddenly met with a pair of gloved hands-- metallic pink-gloved hands-- reaching out to help her up. Trini takes hold of them, swallowing down her pride and giving in as Kim pulls her up to her feet.  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini finally confronts Kim and gets the real answer as to why she up and left her.

_ Pink. _

_ God, she loves the sight of that color. _

_ No. Scratch that. She all but worships that color.  _

_ Not all shades, though, of pink. Just one in particular. A metallic canary pink that tends to shimmer like a blanket of stars in the right light. It’s a rare color. One that Trini hasn’t seen, except for her in her dreams, for more years than she would care to admit. _

_ A color that up until this very moment she didn’t realize she so desperately needed in her life.  _

“T!” Kim yells to Trini over the raging storm as she slows down to a light jog. “Where’d it go?”

“Not sure. Can’t see shit,” Trini responds. They’ve been running in circles around the streets of downtown Angel Grove for well over twenty minutes now, chasing after a shadowy mass of a figure that all but dances along the rooftops almost as if it’s unfazed by the constant onslaught of the elements. And every time they seem to get within a reasonable striking distance, the figure evaporates right into thin air, lost amongst the thick gray sheets of rain and fog.

But not for long and always in a different spot than where it last was, leading them to change directions again… and again… and again. 

Trini would have long but given up, if it weren’t for the simple fact that she isn’t going at it alone. 

Within mere seconds of the first spotting the mysterious figure, their armor instantly materialized, spreading across their bodies with a warmth that Trini had all but forgotten about. They were still able to morph after Kim left, but it had never quite been the same. It always required an extra level of concentration. One that Trini continually struggled with time and time again. And the armor felt different. Almost weaker in nature. As if it was missing a key component. 

But, worst of all, morphing no longer felt like being submerged in a warm bath of never-ending energy. It now was cold and sterile almost to the point of it being downright uncomfortable. 

Trini came to outright dread morphing. She tried to avoid it at all costs, but it only led to a slew of badly broken bones, scarring gashes, and despite her accelerate healing, more than one trip to the local ER. 

It just never felt exactly right. 

Not until the missing piece -- the metallic pink piece-- was once again back where it belonged, right by her side.

“There! On the roof of the bank!” Kim picks up the pace once again, racing at full speed towards the 1st Bank of Angel Grove in the near distance with Trini following close behind. The shadowy figure lingers for a moment or two on the ledge, taunting them to come closer and then--

POOF.

It’s gone. 

“FUCK!” Kim screams out, slamming her gloved hand into the nearby brick wall with a thud. 

“Kim…”

“We’re never going to catch it from down here.” 

“Maybe we oughta--” Trini is cut off, though, by the sight of Kim scaling up the side of the bank. “Shit.”

“C’mon,” Kim calls out over her shoulder, already halfway up the massive brick wall. She moves with the greatest of ease as if she’s climbing a jungle gym and not the surface of a building. 

_ Fuck… Fuck… Fuck…  _

_ It’s only three stories. Not that tall. Totally doable. _

_ Fuck… _

“Trini? You coming?”

Trini shakes her head, takes a long gulp of air, and then slowly starts to make her way up the side of the building. Her heart pounds against her rib cage as beads of sweat rapidly form along the edges of her hairline. 

_ Fuck… Fuck… Fuck… _

_ Shake it off, Gomez. _

_ This is nothing new.  _

_ Get to the top, and it will all stop. That's how it works. _

Trini pauses for a moment, desperate to steady her breathing. Even after all those countless mediation sessions with Tommi, she still seems to be unable to master her nerves. At least not when she’s more than five feet off the ground.

”T? What’s wrong?” Kim calls from somewhere above Trini. 

“Nothing,” Trini replies through gritted teeth. She starts to move again. Slow but steady. One hand and followed by the other. 

_ Concentrate, Gomez.  _

_ Only a few more feet and it’ll be over.  _

_ Just…  _

_ Keep… _

_ Climb-- _

CRACK.

A flying piece of debris clips the side of Trini’s helmet, instantly causing her to lose her grip on the wall. Her hands scramble to find purchase once again, but it’s too late. Trini plummets to the ground below, hitting the rain-soaked pavement back first, with her head following suit not even a millisecond late. A sea of stars pops into her line of sight as the world spins before her. 

“Trini!” Kim screams out, voice raging against the storm. Trini attempts to lift her head but is met with an unusual tension as if someone -- or something -- is pulling her by the root her hair. Her hands roam up towards her helmet and immediately comes in contact with a tangled mess of broken metallic pieces.

_ Fuck. _

_ Her helmet. _

_ Not again. _

“I’m okay.” Trini lets out a low groan as the aftershock of dull pain radiates across every inch of her body. She slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position and does a quick evaluation of the rest of her armor, checking for any additional cracks.

This isn’t the first time, Trini’s suit has splintered. No. It's happened at least three other times before. Each one coming on the heels of an extra bad anxiety attack. 

The first time had been the worst, with it seemingly coming out of nowhere. One minute Trini was engaging in battle with massive lava creature and the next… The next, she found herself slamming into the ground with a mind-numbing thud followed by an unusual chorus of what could only be described as metal shattering. 

It had taken Billy and Alpha 5 well over four hours to delicately pick the hundreds of metallic yellow shards out of Trini’s skin. Each one leaving a faint but noticeable mark, like a hauntingly strange tattoo. Yet another painful reminder that she was far less than what she once was.

And that’s how Trini discovered that her suit-- like so many other parts of her-- was now weaker. Slightly damaged goods that, with the right combination of thoughts and actions, could be penetrated. 

Broken. 

Sure, it repaired itself. Time and time again. But, as Zordon had informed Trini, there were no guarantees. Not until the missing piece returned once again and made her whole. 

“Bullshit,” Kim huffs out as she finishes descending back down the wall. She makes her way over to Trini and flips up her visor. “T, what’s going on?”

“I slipped. That’s all. No big deal,” Trini replies. She goes to stand but is suddenly met with a pair of gloved hands-- metallic pink-gloved hands-- reaching out to help her up. Trini takes hold of them, swallowing down her pride and giving in as Kim pulls her up to her feet. 

“Jesus. Your helmet.” 

“It’s nothing.”

But Kim ignores Trini and instead gently pulls her closer to get a better look at the damage. “It’s shattered.” 

“I know,” Trini mumbles in response. “It happens sometimes.”

A momentary silence falls between the two of them as Kim studies Trini’s face, searching for a deeper meaning. Trini starts to squirm, feeling the eyes upon her. 

_ God, those eyes.  _

_ Those freakin’ chocolate brown eyes. _

_ They pierce through Trini’s walls, chipping away at the steadily growing cracks.  _

_ It’s only a matter of time before-- _

“We need to get out of this storm before it gets any worse,” Kim states, breaking the silence. 

“But what about the fig..” Trini trails off mid-sentence as she catches a glimpse of the look upon Kim’s face. Arguing is pointless. There’s nothing but stubborn resolution staring back at her. “Tommi and Zack’s bar. It’s less than a block away.”

“Tommi and Zack own a bar?”

“Yeah. It’s kinda long story,” Trini replies. She wipes the rain off of her visor and then attempts to take a step, but instantly winces in pain. 

Not missing a beat, Kim loops her arm around Trini’s waist, providing Trini with the support she so desperately needs. “Okay. I’m so going to need to hear that one.”

“Get me to the bar, and I’ll tell you whatever you want,” Trini responds leaning her weight onto Kim.

“I’m holding you to that, Gomez.” Kim re-adjusts her grip on the smaller Latina and the two slowly make their way down the block.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_ Fuuuuck. _

_ Too freakin’ short. _

_ Why can’t she be a few inches taller? Or had been smart enough to have worn her Doc Martens?  _

_ Then she would’ve been more than able to see her reflection.  _

_ But no…  _

_ Everything had to be extra difficult at the moment. Cause that just seems to be Trini’s luck. _

Trini lets out a frustrated sigh and then pushes herself back up on her tiptoes in a feeble attempt to add the extra inch or so she needs to be eye-level with the massive chrome vat that’s perched on the upper level of one of the numerous storage shelves that crowd the backroom of the bar. It’s far from ideal, but given that there isn’t a mirror to be found and she needs to see the damage firsthand to assess the situation, there’s no other option. 

Trini had been able to easily remove the bulk of her helmet with little to no trouble whatsoever. Just a few gentle tugs and some extra pressure and the larger pieces popped right off one by one. But then when it came to removing the area towards the back, where her head had made impact with the asphalt, and that’s when Trini knew that it wasn’t going to be a complete cakewalk. No. Although couldn’t see it for herself, she could feel a massive knot of yellow metallic shards embedded deep within her thick wavy curls. And every time she attempted to pull a piece out-- even with the utmost of patience-- it only resulted in furthering the overall size of the tangled mass. 

So Trini had gone in search of scissors, finding a pair tucked away in Tommi’s desk drawer and then went about looking for something-- anything-- that could provide her with a halfway decent view of the mess.

“Fuck it,” Trini exhales in a sudden burst of anger. She drops down off of her tiptoes, snatches up the nearby scissors, and unceremoniously grabs hold of a hunk of her hair.

“Hey T! Not sure if you’re a whiskey drinker, but I found a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label. It was stashed behind a vat of cocktail olives. Think Tommi will care if we--” Kim walks through the doorway from the front room and instantly comes to a crashing halt as her face morphs into a look of pure and utter horror. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Trini huffs out, words dripping with sarcasm. She moves to place the hunk of hair in her hand between the blades of the scissors, but before she can do so, she’s stopped short by Kim.

“Stop!”

“Kim…”

“Did you forget our whole conversation we just had? The one where I told you that I own a barbershop?” Kim says, matching Trini’s level of sarcasm. She gently takes hold of Trini’s hand and guides the scissors away from her hair. 

“So?”

“So, you’re an idiot,” Kim replies. “Go grab that desk chair.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously.” Kim removes the scissors from Trini’s hand and gives her a nudge in the direction of the chair. 

Trini shakes her head in mild disbelief. She makes her way over to the chair and wheels it out from the desk. “Okay, Princess. Now what?”

“Now take off your shirt and have a seat.”

“Wow. Not even gonna buy me dinner first?” A small but noticeable smirk slides across Trini’s lips.

“Or not. But don’t complain to me when you’re covered in hair,” Kim replies with a shrug of her shoulders. Trini lets out a sigh, carefully grabs hold of the helm of her shirt and with a more than strained effort peels it away from her body, revealing a large scar. It snakes its way in a rough, jagged pattern, stretching from the base of her spine all the to her left shoulder blade, like an oddly grotesque bolt of lightning. 

An unsettling stillness washes over the room as Trini squirms once again under Kim’s unrelenting gaze. 

_ Breathe, Gomez.  _

_ In and out…  _

_ In and out… _

_ The topic was going to come up sooner or later. Kimberly already knows about the height issue. Just another piece to the puzzle. That’s all. _

_ An unwanted souvenir from the time where she almost-- _

“Trini…” Kim whispers, snapping Trini out of her thoughts. Trini slowly takes a seat, deliberately choosing not to look up at Kim and attempts to run her hands through her hair but only manages to get a few inches before her fingers get caught up in the massive knot. 

“Fuck.” Trini winces,more than annoyed by the entire situation. Kim positions herself behind Trini and ever so gently places her hands down on Trini’s shoulders sending a warm and oddly comforting sensation down Trini spine. 

“Let me fix it for you,” Kim says softly. 

Trini swallows down the lump of repressed emotions growing within her throat and gives a simple nod in response. Words are just too much at the moment.

Kim squeezes Trini’s shoulder, and before Trini knows it, the room fills with the oddly familiar sound of scissors slicing through hair. Long dark brown curls rain down around her as she tries to focus on anything else but the constant, feather-light touches of Kim’s fingers. 

“Nervous?” Kim asks as she gently tilts Trini’s head downwards.

“No.”

“Your knee says else wise,” Kim responds. Trini’s eyes instantly trail down to her knee that's bouncing away like an out of control jackhammer. 

“Sorry.” Trini lets out a sigh and then places her hand down upon her knee. 

“Don't be. It reminds me of the first time I convinced you to let me do this. You were such a hot mess.”

“Was not.”

“Oh, you so were. Don’t you remember me having to talk you down from that epic panic attack? I ended up having to hold you for like a good three hours,” Kim replies with a hint of a smile to her voice. She readjusts Trini’s head, shifting it to the side. 

SNIP… SNIP… SNIP…

Trini watches in silence as even more of her hair falls into her lap, fighting against the storm of memories brewing within the depths of her mind. 

_ Of course, Trini remembers. She remembers every touch… Every kiss… Every “I love you”...  _

_ Trini remembers it all. _

_ But those memories are tainted now. Painted with a layer of bittersweet sadness that makes them almost unbearable to watch when called upon.  _

_ God, does she remember. _

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure,” Trini says gruffly, trying to hide the underlying quiver to her voice. 

“The scar on your back. Does it have any connection to why you’re afraid of heights?” The question hangs between them as Kim continues to work her magic, strategically moving the scissors higher and higher with each and every snip. 

_ Fuck… _

_ Fuck… _

_ Fuck… _

_ There’s no avoiding it. Not anymore. Just suck it up and rip the bandaid off, Gomez.  _

“Yeah. It does. As well as two smaller ones on the back of my left leg.” Trini swallows again, pausing for the briefest of moments to collect herself.

“T, you don’t have to--”

“No, it’s okay,” Trini cuts Kim off. “It happened roughly six months after you… After…”

“After I left?”

“Yeah. After you left. One day, out of the blue, this psychotic alien overlord named Ivan Ooze showed up and started wreaking havoc. At first, he was just like all the others. Rolled in with a pack of minions. Blew some shit up. Gave a boring monologue about how the Zeo Crystal belonged to him. The usual song and dance. But then… Then he called upon these machines. They were like the ultimate demonic doppelganger of our Zords. Looked and acted exactly like our did, matching us move for move. It was brutal. We held them off the best we could, but nothing seemed to be working. So we regrouped and, with some help from Zordon, came up with the idea that would allow us to stage a surprise attack,” Trini says. She blinks back the hint of tears that are starting to form within the corners of her eyes and takes a long, sobering breath of air. 

There’s a pause in the steady rhythmic sounds of the scissor as once again, Kim places her hands down upon Trini’s shoulders in a silent signal of support. “You can stop. I don’t need to--”

“The plan involved using your Zord.”

“My Zord?”

“Yeah. It’s the only one that can fly and strangely enough, it was also the only one that Ivan didn’t seem to have a clone of.”

“But who piloted it? I thought…” Kim trails off as the realization hits her dead on. There’s no need to finish her sentence. She already knows the answer. “You flew it, didn’t you?”

Trini gives a slight nod, letting that piece of information fully sink in, then--

“At the time, the thought was that because I had had the strongest bond with you that maybe… maybe I’d be able to pilot it, and I did, at least long enough for us to take out Ivan but…” Trini briefly stops once again, voice cracking on her last word. “But it turned out that our bond wasn’t quite as strong as I thought… I was thrown from the cockpit of the Zord mid-flight. Fell over 200 ft and landed smack dab on the roof of the Krispy Kreme. Ironic, right? The fall should’ve killed me. But, thanks to our Ranger healing powers, it just knocked me into one hell of a coma. Apparently, I didn’t wake up for over two weeks. For a while, they didn’t even think I would. Or at least that’s what Tommi once told me after polishing off a bottle of whiskey. We kinda don’t talk about it all too much. It’s just… Just one of those things that happened.”

Trini holds her breath, waiting for a response-- any response-- from Kim, but all that answers is the sound of snipping. It fills the space between the two of them, comforting and yet all-consuming. 

Minutes pass, and the sounds slowly start to decrease, trading in the consistent rhythm for more sporadic ones. All signs that Kim is almost done. And suddenly Trini notices just how weightless her head feels. It isn’t exactly a foreign sensation, and yet, in this light, it’s different. Raw. As if the last pieces of her invisible armor, the one she’s been wearing for years now, has finally been removed.

The snipping stops altogether and then, without any warning, Kim traces her fingers along the slope of Trini’s newly shorn nape. Slow and with an underlying longing that Trini knows all too well. 

“There you are,” Kim quietly whispers, finally breaking the silence.

_ No… _

_ No… _

_ No… _

_ Hold it together, Gomez. _

_ Not here. _

_ Not now. _

_ No… _

_ Please god, no...  _

But it’s too late. Trini breaks. 

“I… I… I… I need some water,” Trini responses. She scrambles to her feet, knocking the chair over in the process, and makes a mad dash for the doorway. Trini can feel the sting of tears whelming up within her eyes, only milliseconds away from pouring down her face. She needs to get out of there and now.

Trini burst through the swinging doors that separate the back and front rooms and immediately heads straight towards the bar. She slams into it just as the tears start to rain down, burning two defined paths on her cheeks. Trini desperately tries to steady her breathing, eyes locked in on the worn wood beneath her hands. 

_ In and out… _

_ In and out… _

_ In and out… _

_ Jesus… _

_ Why isn’t it working? _

The tears fall harder. Faster. There’s nothing Trini can do about it. She gulps down a breath of air and slowly allows her eyes to roam upwards, towards the mirrored wall behind the bar. And there, staring back, is someone that Trini swore, that up until this very moment, was gone. Forever lost when her world was suddenly thrown into heart-wrenching chaos. 

It’s who she used to be. 

Trini exhales a shaky breath of air and then ever so cautiously runs her hands through her now messy short hair, remembering again how it feels. It isn’t though the same undercut style that Kim used to do on her. No. This version is a bit more unrefined. Rougher. With the longest pieces on top just barely brushing against her ears and the back and sides cut close against her skin. 

Trini takes a closer look as the realization hits her dead on--

It’s who she desperately needs to be.

“Trini?” Kim’s voice cuts through the silence, startling Trini. Trini turns around to find Kim standing in the doorway with a bittersweet look that twists the knife even further into Trini’s already wrecked emotions. 

“I’m okay. I swear. I just needed--” 

“Ask me the question.”

“What?” Trini responds, blinking back her tears. 

“Ask me,” Kim says again. She takes a step closer, and Trini can see a matching set of tears forming in Kim’s chocolate brown eyes.

_ Fuck… _

_ She can’t do it.  _

_ No. Scratch that. She won’t. _

_ Not after all of these years.  _

_ She’s not ready for that answer. _

“Kim, I don’t know--”

“You do, Trini… You and I both know you do,” Kim replies, voice quivering. “So go ahead already and ask it.” 

_ Please god… _

_ Please… _

_ 3… _

_ 2… _

_ 1…  _

“Why did you leave me?” The words stumble out of Trini, with a forcefulness that up until this very moment, she had no clue that she even possessed. 

Kim lets out a wet bark of a laugh as tears roll down her cheeks. She takes a breath of air and then--

“Because I was scared. And a mess… And there was all this pressure to be what everyone wanted me to be… The perfect daughter… The future doctor… The perfect girlfriend. And it was killing me. Most days, I could barely breathe, let alone function. I was drowning, and I didn’t know how to tell you… or anyone at all. I couldn’t bear the disappointment. So I tried to just push through it. To pretend everything was okay, but it wasn’t. And then one night, I stupidly decided to go out and drank so much that I blacked out. I woke up the next morning in someone’s bed I didn’t even remember meeting, let alone… I fucked up. God, did I fuck up… and I… I just didn’t know how to tell you. How do you tell the woman that you love more than life itself that you not only cheated on her but somehow got yourself knocked up in the process? I just couldn’t do that to you. I couldn’t ruin your life like that. So… So I figured it was best if I just left… Because you deserved so much better than me.”

Kim’s confession lingers between them as time seems to suddenly stand still. All Trini can do is keep on breathing. Anything more than that is just too much. Too painful.

“Trini, I--”

“Deserved better?” Trini asks unable to hide the underlying anger bubbling up from the depths of her very being. “Better? You fuckin’ wrecked me. You left me nothing but your ring and a half-ass note… But that’s what I deserved right? The woman that you swore you loved. That’s what I deserved. No explanation. No nothing. Hell, you didn’t even give me a chance to try and understand… You just fuckin’ left me.”

“I know,” Kim whispers in response as her tears fall harder down her face. “I didn’t mean to--”

“Mean to what? Hurt me? Well, guess what? You did. You destroyed me. If it weren’t for Tommi and the guys and your parents, I don’t think I’d even be… I don’t know if I would’ve survived this long.”

“I’m so sorry, T. I’m--”

“No! You don’t get to waltz back in here with a kid and fuckin’ new fiancé and act like saying your sorry will fix this. You got to move on with your life, while I… I just…”

“I know… I know…” Kim takes another step closer, and Trini can feel the warmth of her presence wash over her. She fights against her warring emotions, desperate to hold onto the rage that she has kept buried deep inside her for so long. 

“You don’t know! I tried to forget. I did everything I could think of… Everything I could to destroy it, but I couldn’t make it go away. It’s never going to go away. And I fuckin’ hate you for that.”  

“Make what go away?”

Trini exhales another, even shakier, breath of air and closes her eyes. “My love for you.” 

Just as the words leave Trini’s lips, she feels Kim’s hands upon her, wrapping her in a comfort that she has craved for more years than she wants to admit. Kim leans in and kisses Trini, pouring out all of her emotions. It’s deep and passionate. And filled with an answer that Trini has longed to hear. It’s love. Plain and simple. 

_ Kimberly… _

_ Kimberly Hart still loves her. _

And first time in what feels like forever…

Trini is home.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is it. This is chapter is the longest one I've ever written and finally reveals a LOT of unanswered questions. 
> 
> Dying to know what you guys think, so feel free to comment away! 
> 
> And before you ask... yes that kiss is just a prelude to what's to come. There will a "more intimate" reunion in the next chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!


	14. Somewhere Between Lovers and Just Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey.” Kim reaches up and places her hand against Trini’s cheek. “You okay?”
> 
> “Shouldn’t I be asking you that, Princess?” Trini replies with a smile.
> 
> Kim lets a light chuckle slip out as she runs her hand through Trini’s short, messy locks. “God, I forgot how good you look like this.”
> 
> “Just like this?” Trini raises an eyebrow.  
> \----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Trini and Kim *finally* reconnect with one another

_ Holy shit. _

_ No. Scratch that. There are no words…  _

_ At least no words that Trini’s brain can coherently string together at the moment. How the hell can she? The ability the articulate her thoughts went right out the window around the same time that Kim’s lips trailed their way down past the waistband of her boxer briefs.  _

“Fuck,” Kim screams out at the top of her lungs. She cascades over the edge for the fourth time in an hour with her body entirely giving in to the orgasm. Trini continues to pump her fingers allowing Kim to ride the wave of aftershock after aftershock. It’s raw with primal undertones of insatiable hunger that has gone too long without being fed.

At first, though, it had been different. Hesitant and timid. Filled with awkward pauses and clumsy moments as they tried to relearn each other’s bodies. 

Kim had made the first definitive move by picking Trini up with one arm and wiping the bar clear with the other. There had been a loud chorus of glasses shattering, but Trini was too preoccupied with Kim’s lips to check the damage. Before she knew it, she was being lowered down onto the top of the bar, and Kim was crawling her way up her body, leaving a path of kisses in her wake. All clothing seemed to magically disappear in the haze of hands and mouths mapping skin.

And suddenly, there was no more hiding. No secrets left to cover up. 

It was just them. Trini and Kim. Vulnerable and bare. 

All it had taken was one swipe from Kim’s tongue against Trini’s core for her to melt into a pile of conflicting emotions. Heartache. Anger. Desire. Joy. Each emotion hit one after another as Trini felt her body race towards the point of no return. By the time she came, two trails of tears had snaked their way down her cheeks.

Unlike before, though, they weren't fueled solely by pain. But Kim kissed them away nonetheless. 

No. They had been a release. One that Trini hadn't known she had been holding onto ever since the moment that Kim had left.

After the first orgasm, all the awkwardness was gone. The gloves were off, and Trini and Kim proceeded to take turns pushing each other bodies to the limit, rebranding once familiar landmarks with an array of teeth and nails.

Again. And again. Until every inch of their bodies screamed out in complete and utter exhaustion.

Trini locks eyes with the goddess that is Kimberly Hart and struggles to bite back a euphoric grin. 

_ The way the beads of sweat glisten around the edges of her face… _

_ How the lights of the bar dance in her chocolate brown abysses… _

_ The hint of a smirk upon her lips... _

_ God, Trini can’t get enough.  _

_ Kimberly freakin’ Hart. _

_ Her own personal aphrodisiac. _

“Hey.” Kim reaches up and places her hand against Trini’s cheek. “You okay?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that, Princess?” Trini replies with a smile.

Kim lets a light chuckle slip out as she runs her hand through Trini’s short, messy locks. “God, I forgot how good you look like this.”

“Just like this?” Trini raises an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Without any warning, Kim flips them over, and Trini finds herself once again pinned down against the bar by the only woman she's ever truly loved. “Exactly like this.”

Kim punctuates her point with a short searing kiss, grabbing hold of Trini’s bottom lip with her teeth as she pulls away. 

Not able to hold back, Trini lets out a much-needed moan of pleasure. “Jesus Hart. You’re gonna kill me.”

“Sorry,” Kim replies. “I can't help myself. I might've been fantasizing about this for a while now.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Kim whispers into Trini’s ear causing an instantaneous shock of chills to radiate down the Latina’s spine. 

“How long?” Trini manages to say, fighting to keep her composure. 

“Too long.” Kim marks yet another path down the slope of Trini’s neck, making sure to pay extra attention to her pulse point. Trini throws her head back against the bar stretching her neck out in the process, giving the raven-haired girl more runway to work with. She glances upwards, unable to pull her eyes away from the goddess hovering before her and then suddenly spots--

_ The diamond. _

_ It sparkles in the dim lights of the bar, a silent yet a constant reminder of the sheer complexity of their situation.  _

_ Kimberly Hart has a boyfriend. _

_ No. Scratch that. A fiancé. _

_ She isn’t available for the taking.  _

_ And this… _

_ This doesn’t mean-- _

“T?” Kim asks. Her eyes follow the invisible path of Trini’s gaze and land directly on her engagement ring. The smile melts right off of her face. “Oh.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have--”

“Don’t apologize.” Kim rolls over the side of Trini and props herself up with her elbow. “It’s… It’s just complicated.”

An uncomfortable silence falls between the two of them as Trini watches Kim play with the diamond on her finger. The ring rotates around and around, slow and methodical, periodically catching a stray beam of light. Trini can’t help but notice the stark differences in comparison to the ring that’s currently tucked away in a random shoebox in the dark recesses of her bedroom closet. Different cut… Different size… Even a different metal. 

Nothing about the ring seems to fit with the woman whose finger it’s on. 

“Do you love him?” Trini can’t stop the words from falling out of her mouth and cringes with instant regret.

“No,” Kim replies without any hesitation whatsoever. “Not like I love you.”

“Then why…”

“Why did I say yes?” 

Trini nods in response suddenly unable to find her voice. 

Kim lets out a long sigh. “Do you know that I was at Jason and Billy’s wedding?”

“What??” Trini blurts out in total shock. She pushes herself up onto her elbows as her eyes search over Kim’s face for any inkling of a lie. But all that’s stares back is the unwavering truth.

“Yeah. It was sort of a last minute thing. Jason showed up one day at my shop a few weeks before his wedding and all but begged me to come. At first, I didn’t think I would go, but changed my mind at the last minute.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t see you,” Trini responds.

“I know,” Kim says with a bittersweet smile. “But I saw you.” 

Kim once again reaches out and runs her hand through Trini’s short locks. Trini’s stress dissolves with the simple touch, momentarily causing her to forget the root of their conversation.

“You had on this gorgeous heather gray suit with a pale yellow tie and matching pocket square… And you had slicked back your hair. I think into a tight bun or something… You looked phenomenal.” 

Trini lets a light laugh slip out as a flood of memories wash over her, bathing her in a once forgotten warmth.

_ That suit. _

_ The one that Frank had gotten specially made for Trini for the Angel Grove Gala.  _

_ The one that could cause Kimberly to go weak in the knees at the mere sight of it.  _

_ Trini always has wondered why Jason suggested that she wear it to his wedding.  _

“Fuckin’ Jason,” Trini mutters under her breath.

“What?” Kim asks.

“You don’t remember?”

“I…” Kim trails off as a look of sudden realization crosses her face. “Wait. That’s the suit. The one, my dad, got you for the Angel Grove Gala.”

“Yup. That’s the one,” Trini responds with a hint of a smirk.

“Damn. I knew it looked familiar. I mean I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time, but… God, I loved that suit on you.”

“And Jason knew that too. He’s the one that suggested that I wear it.”

“Ah…”

“Yeah,” Trini says shifting her weight once again to move a bit closer to Kim. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“Don’t. He meant well… He really did, but--”

“But?” Trini askes.

“But he didn’t take into account the rest. That maybe me seeing you there… with someone else… It would make me realize that it was time for me to move on,” Kim replies holding back her emotions. 

The words sit between them, heavy and suffocating, silently playing on a loop in the depth of Trini’s mind.

_ Ruby.  _

_ Trini’s date to Jason and Billy’s wedding.  _

_ The girl that had gotten the closest to breaking through Trini’s rock hard armor.  _

“Kim, I--”

“Don’t you dare think of apologizing yet again.” Kim ever so gently caresses Trini’s cheek as a softness settles within her chocolate brown eyes. “You had every right to date whoever… Especially after what I did.”

“I know, but she didn't mean anything to--”

“I said yes to Richard because I thought it would help me move on.”

“Did it?” Trini asks before she can second guess the question. 

Kim doesn’t respond. She doesn’t need to. They both already know the answer. It’s written all over every single inch of Kim’s face. 

Without another moment’s hesitation, Kim rolls back on top of Trini, pinning her down against the bar with one hand, while the other traces the edges of her body at an excruciatingly slow pace. 

Trini sucks in a long gasp of air as her core re-ignites with a burning desire of what’s to come. She leans into Kim’s touch, body automatically answering and all she can think of is just how utterly breathtaking the moment is. 

“Tell me what you want,” Kim husks into the crook of Trini’s neck as she lavishes it with a series of interchangeable bites and kisses. 

“Mierda,” Trini exhales. She feels Kim’s hand dip lower, drawing playful circles on the sensitive patch of skin right above her center. It’s a tease. One that Trini knows too well. 

“You need to be more specific.” 

“I need you to--”

BANG.

Jason materializes out of thin air in the dead center of the room instantly causing Kim to collapse herself on Trini, in a feeble attempt to hide their lack of clothing.  

“Fuck!” Jason exclaims.

“Jesus, Scott!” Trini fires back, throwing him a more than noticeable eye roll. “Ever heard of a warning?”

“Fuck. Sorry. Billy got the teleporter working, and we could sense you were trapped and… Fuck. I really didn’t mean to… Is that a Sabertooth Tiger on your back?” 

Kim whips her head around and glances behind at her left shoulder. There, just beneath her shoulder blade, sits a detailed looking black and white Sabertooth Tiger that bears a striking resemblance to that of Trini’s Zord. “Uh… yeah. It is.”

“Impressive,” Jason responds, continuing to stare at Trini and Kim.

“Jason!” Trini yells as him, practically breathing fire.

“Shit… Right.” Jason turns around and shields his eyes. 

Kim plants a light kiss on Trini’s lips and then pushes herself up off of the bar and goes about gathering her clothes. Trini slides down as well and instantly finds her eyes drawn to the intricate tattoo that resides on Kim’s back. She had briefly noticed it in the frenzy of clothes being ripped off of bodies, but up until this point, hasn’t had a chance to thoroughly study it. The tattoo is hauntingly beautiful, complimenting the natural slope of Kim’s muscles and true to Jason’s comment, is impressive in every sense of the word.

_ Kimberly Hart has a tattoo… _

_ Sabertooth Tiger tattoo…  _

_ Her Sabertooth Tiger…  _

_ God, it’s hot.  _

_ No. Scratch that. It’s beyond hot. It’s--  _

“See something you like?” A playful smirk slides across Kim’s lips. She finishes clasping her bra and then slips her shirt over her head.

“Nice ink,” Trini replies as she pulls up her boxer briefs.

“Had a hunch you might appreciate it.”

“Good hunch.” Trini buttons her jeans, matching Kim’s smirk. 

“Ahem… Still here,” Jason pipes up. He gives a wave with his free hand while keeping the other firmly planted over his eyes.

“It’s okay. You can look now,” Kim says as she finishes adjusting her clothes. She takes a seat at a nearby table with both Jason and Trini following her lead.

“Like the hair.” Jason motions with a simple head nod to Trini’s hair, causing Trini to self-consciously reach up and run her hands through it.

“Thanks,” Trini sheepishly replies. “Kim did it.”

“Kudos. Tommi and Mamji have been trying to convince her to do it for years now.”

“They have not.”

Jason doesn’t even humor Trini with a response. There’s just no need to. 

“So what’s the latest? Have you guys heard from Tommi and Zack? Is Max okay?” Kim asks, changing the subject.

“As far as we know, yes. We were able to talk to Tommi roughly an hour ago, and she said they were holding down the fort. A broken window or two from flying debris, but otherwise they were doing just fine.”

Trini notices Kim exhale a slight sigh of relief and instinctually takes hold of her hand. It’s a small gesture, but she knows that it won’t go overlooked. Kim entwines her fingers with Trini’s and gives a squeeze in return.

“What about that stone Billy mentioned. Find anything else out about it?” Trini asks.

“What stone?” Kim’s eyes ping-pong between Trini and Jason, desperate for someone to fill in the blanks.

“The Epithymía stone. Yeah, it’s 99.9% the cause of this, but no such luck on locating it.” 

“Do we at least know what it looks like?” Trini replies. 

Jason gives a simple nod in confirmation as he begins to rub the back of his neck. A classic tell that his stress levels are on the steady climb. “Small, yellow, and gem-ish. Or at least that’s how the text describes it.”

“How small is small?” Kim asks picking up on the underlying tone of concern in his voice. 

“Small,” Jason responds with an ominous emphasis to that immediately sends a wave of chills down Trini’s spine. “Small enough to fit in a pocket.”

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ A gem.  _

_ A small yellow gem that can easily fit in a pocket… _

_ A jean pocket. _

_ Like the strange yellow gem that’s currently residing in the pocket of dirty jeans on the floor of her bedroom closet. _

_ Fuck. _

Kim lets out another sigh and tucks a loose strand of her raven locks behind her ear. “So where do we start looking?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. Billy thinks we should start with--”

BANG.

Billy suddenly appears on top of the bar. “Yes! Woot! It worked!”

“Babe? What are you doing here?” Jason asks in a state of utter shock. He leaps to his feet and goes to help Billy down from the bar. 

“I detected another spike of Ranger energy. A huge one. Bigger than the last one and was worried you were in trouble. Did you… Oh! Trini you cut your hair again. I always liked it better that way. Did Kimberly do it for you?” Billy rambles on as he takes a seat at the table. 

“Yeah,” Kim says with a hint of a smile as she lovingly runs her hand through Trini’s hair. 

“But wait… Trini hasn’t let anyone touch her hair since… Oh!” Billy turns towards Jason with a sudden look of realization. “That’s what we felt! Trini and Kimberly. They weren’t in danger. They were having--”

But Billy is cut off by Jason’s hand clamping down over his mouth. “Yes.”

An ear to ear grin spreads across Billy’s face as he glances at Trini and then Kim and then back again at Trini. His pure excitement is nothing short of infectious, causing a round of light and slightly awkward chuckles to circle the table. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it uncomfortable, but… yay! I knew it was only a matter of time with you both back together in the same location,” Billy replies as his smile somehow manages to grow even wider. “Oh! It’s over 72 hrs. That means I win the pool, right?” 

“You bet on us?” Trini exclaims. She shoots a dagger-like stare in Jason’s direction, instantaneously causing him to flush with embarrassment. 

“No… Not really… It was more like a general conversation where some money exchanged hands,” Jason stumbles through a response, unable to maintain eye contact with either Trini or Kim. 

“You’re so dead, Scott.”

“If you want to blame someone, you should blame Tommi. The pool was her idea. Ironically enough, though, she was grossly off with her prediction. She said that you two wouldn’t reunited in the physical sense for at least another four days and it would require a great deal of alcohol,” Billy chimes in.

“She wasn’t that far off,” Trini mutters under her breath as she gives a quick glance over to the now empty bottle of Johnny Walker on the edge of the bar.

“Okay. Can we get back to this stone?” Kim turns her full attention to Billy. “What else were you able to dig up on it?”

“Did you tell them about the connection to our power coins?” Billy asks Jason, warranting a quick head shake in response. 

“What about our coins?” Trini’s voice unusually rises up on the tail end of the question as to the ever-growing lump of fear and dread swirls within the pit of her stomach.

“Well, oddly enough, there appears to be some sort of connection between the Epithymía stone and the green power coin. Or at least that’s what I was able to determine. The last time the Epithymía stone was activated, it unleashed an unknown entity that essentially proceeded to hunt down the Green Ranger and attempted to strip them of their coin.” 

_ Tommi. _

_ Breathe, Gomez. _

_ It’s going to be okay.  _

“Wait… What? Did you tell Tommi this?” Kim questions, her voice rising as well with a more than a clear underlying sense of sudden panic to it.

“Yes, but there’s no need to worry. The Epithymía stone acts as a beacon device. As long as Tommi is not near the stone then there no immediate threat.”

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck. _

_ No. _

_ Oh god, Tommi… _

_ Zack… _

_ Max. _

_ Fuck. _

_ Max. _

“We need to get back to the house,” Trini says, voice trembling as she fights back the overwhelming mass of fear not residing in the back of her throat

“T? What’s--” 

“Now. We need to get back there now!” Trini cuts Kim off, breath quickening with each and every word. A full-blown panic attack is on the horizon. She knows it. It’s only a matter of time.

“Okay… Okay… We will, but you just heard Billy. There’s no reason for us--”

“No. I know where the stone is,” Trini blurts out in a rushed exhale of breath. “It’s in the house."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more of a fluff / filler chapter but figured it was needed after all of the angst. 
> 
> Also, threw in a reference to one the more smut filled one-shot related fics called Remind Me to Thank My Dad. See if you can spot in ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! This sequel has been in the works for a while now, but unfortunately it's taken longer than I would like thank to my life being more than a bit crazy over the past few months.
> 
> Not sure what my posting cadence will be, but will let you know as soon as I figure it out.
> 
> Enjoy and as always, please feel free to comment / feedback away. Love to know what you guys think!


End file.
